


Three's A Crowd (fight or flirt)

by multifandom_fanfic_writer



Series: Fics Random ANBU Would Die For [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: 4th chapter is going to be 8k of porn prepare yourselves, BAMF Haruno Sakura, F/M, Ino Is A Good Friend, Kakashi has a sensei kink, M/M, Multi, Porn With Plot, Sakura is a badass sexy confindent kunoichi, Threesome, Threesome - F/F/M, but in a good way, can you imagine this started out as a one-shot I have no self-persevation, d/s undertones aka sakura takes the lead, everyone is alive because that’s fun, no beta we die like men, shinobi are at least a bit kinky cmon they kill people for a living, shinobi are attracted to strength not gender, side pairing: GenmaIno, starts with KakaSaku then flows into KakaItaSaku, starts with KakaSaku then moves into KakaItaSaku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:55:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21663286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandom_fanfic_writer/pseuds/multifandom_fanfic_writer
Summary: A simple conversation overheard between Kakashi and Genma changes the way Sakura thinks of her former sensei. New possibilities unfold. As luck would have it, the next mission is for Kakashi and Sakura only.On this mission, they have an unexpected guest - and he and Kakashi have a history.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi, Hatake Kakashi/Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Itachi
Series: Fics Random ANBU Would Die For [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2106102
Comments: 112
Kudos: 402
Collections: Naruto, Naruto Wonderland





	1. Fight or Flirt

**Author's Note:**

> Me: I want to write KakaSaku... But I also want to write KakaIta... and I love ItaSaku... hmm...  
> My brain: Why not... both?  
> Me: Oh, oh yes, let's go - flirting and smut here I come!  
> My brain: But what about ALL THESE OTHER THINGS  
> Me...  
> Me: *looks at word count* oh no

“The rookies have really grown up, haven’t they?”

Sakura, on her way to get Kakashi for their weekly sparring session, paused when she heard Genma’s loud voice from the jounin lounge.

Curious, like any self-respecting shinobi, the pink-haired kunoichi decided to hide just around the corner and muted her chakra. From this position, she couldn’t see, but she could hear whomever was in the lounge clearly.

In the jounin lounge itself, four shinobi were hanging around in their scarce free time, indulging in any shinobi’s favourite pastime: exchanging information.

You might also call it gossiping.

“They sure did, Genma,” Izumo, one of the regular gate guards, piped up. “Have you seen Ino walk by lately? She has surely grown… in more ways than one,” he said. Unseen by Sakura, he was making unnecessary gestures in front of his chest.

Genma’s laugh, joined by another, rang clearly from the lounge.

“She’s almost grown as big as our Hokage, Izumo!” the owner of the second laugh, Kotetsu, agreed with his fellow gate-guard.

“And she’s not afraid to show it off, either!” Genma agreed. “The way she uses her body as a weapon is admirable… and for once, I wouldn’t mind being the target.” The dreamy look in his eyes was clearly visible to his fellow jounin, who shook their heads.

The hitherto silent fourth shinobi in the mostly empty lounge took this moment to cut in.

“Mah,” a familiar voice that Sakura knew to belong to her childhood sensei piped up, “be careful what you wish for, my friend. Along with Ino’s expertise in seduction, she had also become even more of an expert on poison and psychological torture…”

Kakashi was lounging on the only couch in the jounin lounge, eyes on his beloved Icha Icha. Unlike Genma, who was lounging against the wall, or Izumo and Kotetsu, who were standing next to each other, Kakashi seemed right at home in the beige-and-yellow lounge.

“Please,” Genma responded, “the fact that she knows just as much about poisons as I do _and_ can take over my body if I’m not careful only makes her sexier. When I was her age, I was not nearly as powerful as she is now. Plus, come on, body-switching during sex, think of the possibilities!”

There was a beat of silence as everyone, even the still eavesdropping Sakura, did.

Though Kotetsu made interested noises, Izumo just shook his head with a smile. “To each their own.” Izumo teased. “But I’m not just talking about how both Ino and Hinata have… developed. The other rookies have matured as well.”

Sitting in her hiding spot, Sakura felt a little hurt she wasn’t included in that list but could not deny it was true. While at 21, her body had developed fully, she had never reached more than a B-cup.

Ah, well. That did mean that when people came up to flirt with her, they weren’t just eying her rack the whole time, a problem Ino found herself constantly annoyed by whenever they explored Konoha’s nightlife.

Distracted by her thoughts, Sakura forgot to listen in, and re-focused.

“…lost the little-brother charm, and is quickly moving into the hot-guy-on-the-beach charm.” Izumo was telling the others while flashing a dirty grin.

Kotetsu snickered in agreement. “The Hyuuga heiress certainly seems to appreciate that.”

“Yeah,” Izumo continued, nodding, “and have you seen Shikamaru? Ever since the Akatsuki have popped up he really seems to take his training seriously. And it shows. He’s finally acquired the body of a shinobi, and it looks good on him.”

Kotetsu nodded. “Plus, that scar on his cheek he got last year really gives him that rough-and-tough vibe. That’s someone I wouldn’t mind spending a night with.”

“Oh,” Genma cut in, “the shadows! That’s something I want to try. Imagine him use his Kagemane to take control over your body and do wicked things to you…”

Sakura could just hear the lecherous grin that sentence ended in.

“Maybe you just have a fetish, Genma.” Kakashi deadpanned, turning a page of his Icha Icha.

Genma wiggled his eyebrows in response, not denying it. “Makes it so much more fun!”

“But you agree, right, Kakashi?” Kotetsu asked the Copy-nin who was trying to pretend he was not part of the conversation.

Kakashi hummed in response, which was as good as an agreement from him, if you asked their female eavesdropper.

She could imagine Kakashi was not too eager to participate in describing the sexiness of the Konoha 11. Not only was he a former sensei, he also seemed like a private person in that regard. On the other hand, all of them were adults now, and age mattered little in a world where a thirteen-year old could kill you with a kunai the same way a forty-year old could.

Did she mention that gossiping was fun yet?

Besides, the kunoichi herself could admit to checking out the grey-haired Copy Nin’s ass once or twice.

What?

He had a nice ass.

More importantly, the older jounin had discussed Ino, Naruto, Shika… Sakura couldn’t help but think _now me!_

“I mean,” Genma continued while putting a new senbon in his mouth and whirling it from left to right, “you were the sensei of two of the Konoha 11 once. We’ve already discussed Naruto, but I know for a fact that you spar almost weekly with a certain pink-haired mini-Tsunade…”

_Yes!_

As Izumo and Kotetsu made interested noises, Kakashi asked neutrally “And what of it?”

“Well,” Genma started, mischief in his voice, “I’m sure we could all agree she’s the one who changed the most out of all of them. Back then, none of us would have expected her to be the medical genius that she is now, never mind her joining ANBU. She’s grown into a very delicate and innocent-looking beauty who is actually an unbreakable kunoichi with a spine of steel – and the strength to match it.”

Izumo nodded. “Absolutely. She may not have the rack of her mentor, but it wouldn’t suit her anyway. Plus, her petite figure makes her strength even more impressive. And have you seen those legs? They go on for ages!” the gate guard said while enthusiastically making gestures with his hands.

“And that ass…” Kotetsu sighed. “If I weren’t so afraid of what Hokage-sama would do to me if she found out, I certainly would have made a move.”

As Sakura grinned proudly, still hidden around the corner, in the jounin lounge itself, Kakashi visibly tensed.

The two gate-guards were too distracted by certain mental images to take much notice of it. Genma’s eyes, however, sharpened as stared at his friend.

“You spar with her so often, Kakashi. Seeing her all sweaty, chest heaving, clothes torn… Her monstrous strength…” the senbon-wielding tokubetsu jounin described casually. “Has a spar never ended with you flat on your back as she holds you down? Her pink hair falling in strands from her ponytail, breath coming in quick gasps?”

Brown eyes inspected the copy-nin as Genma lowered his voice suggestively. “You fantasizing about her pulling your pants down as she holds you down easily with one hand, yanking her own skirt up, and riding you until you see stars?”

The sound of a book snapping shut was loud in the sudden silence of the lounge.

If Sakura could have seen Kakashi, she would have seen nothing of the goofy, weirdo sensei he always pretended to be when she was younger.

This Kakashi was sprawled along the couch like he owned it; his legs stretched out, taking up the whole couch; the orange book now out of sight, one of his hands playing idly with a kunai in feigned boredom. The predatory stillness in his visible half-lidded eye betrayed his nonchalance, the one thing of his posture not feigned.

Genma was not deterred, even as Kakashi shifted. He could push more, the tokubetsu decided. Kakashi was usually almost impossibly to ruffle – this reaction was out of the norm for him, and Genma wanted to know more.

“Maybe you have a different fantasy. Instead, as she lets you up after she just won the second round, you flip her around and settle between her legs, one hand on her firm ass, the other next to her head as you lean in to capture her lips… Maybe she even calls out: _sensei_ , what are you doing?”

At Kakashi’s posturing, Genma grinned. He was onto something.

Kakashi, meanwhile, had shifted from his previous lazy vertical position on the couch. Instead of facing the ceiling, he’d turned to face Genma, body language slowly evolving into something more threatening.

“Maybe,” the arrogant predator drawled lazily behind his mask, “I should tell my cute precious _Sakura-chan_ what exactly her colleagues think of her. I’m sure you’ll appreciate her… strength when she shows you just what she learned all these years in ANBU. And under Tsunade. And,” his eye darkened, “under me.”

Genma, a long-time friend of the copy-nin and a monster on the battlefield in his own right, was not intimidated. “I’m sure you want her to learn that much more _under you_.” he shot back while spitting the senbon out of his mouth. “Tell me, _colleague_ , how hard is it to keep your mind on the fight and not on the way her ass wiggles in those kata Tsunade-sama favours when you spar?”

Sakura felt flushed with anticipation as she awaited his answer, holding her breath. She’d never dreamed the other jounin would see her like that – confident, strong, sexy. And she was flattered. She was a woman now, damnit, and it was high time others acknowledged that.

But Kakashi?

Kakashi himself, meanwhile, was staring Genma down with a dangerous look in his lone eye, focused on his friend like he was prey. Izumo and Kotetsu had taken a step back, holding their breath, unknowingly mirroring their eavesdropper.

For a moment, it seemed like Kakashi was about to punch Genma in the face.

Then he fell down back into the couch, all fight leaving him, and closed his eye.

“Very hard, Genma,” Kakashi sighed like it was a confession, “very hard.”

As the other jounin started laughing, Sakura slipped away unnoticed.

* * *

“Why did you want to meet up, Forehead?” Ino greeted her as she opened the door to her apartment.

The pink-haired jounin smiled at her best friend. “Well, I haven’t seen you in a while and my weekly spar with Kakashi has been pushed back to tomorrow. So I thought, why not?”

The truth was, after the conversation she’d overheard, she sent Kakashi a message that something had come up.

“Uhu,” Ino answered, clearly sceptical, but let it go for now.

As the two kunoichi started eating dinner, chatting casually, Sakura was only half paying attention. Her mind was whirling with the same thoughts she had been going through for the last few hours.

Kakashi.

Liked her.

Or was attracted to her, at least.

But they were also friends. Friends plus sexual attraction should mean he liked her, right? Plus, Kakashi didn’t seem like the type to be up for something like friends with benefits or a casual fling. Knowing him, and she did, it was either a meaningless one-night stand or he went all in.

Which was actually kind of scary to think about.

She’d always kept him in the “teammates” category, not in the “potential lover” category. Not that he couldn’t be one, maybe, or something, but she’d just never really thought about him that way.

For all his perverted Icha Icha-reading, she had never seen him behave disrespectfully towards a woman. Nor had he, as far as she was aware, a bad reputation amongst the woman in Konoha.

And he was smart. And funny. And weird, but a cute kind of weird. They had been through so much together.

But maybe they had been through too much together. Or he could admit she was attractive, but didn’t actually plan to follow up on it. After all, he had admitted Shikamaru had grown into an attractive man as well, but she couldn’t see him actually doing anything about that.

Though it was quite an interesting fantasy to indulge in.

“Sakura!”

Oops.

“Sorry, Ino.” she apologized, their plates now empty. “I was distracted.”

“You sure were,” Ino agreed, “and I know something is _up_. You’re not the type to just randomly invite me out one evening. Either you would go to the hospital, sleep, or invite all the girls, not just me. So tell me – what’s on your mind?”

Sakura scratched her head, embarrassed that her friend knew her so well. She sighed, giving in.

“Okay, so I overheard something today, and it made me think.”

“Gossip!” Ino exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes, gossip, but I do _not_ want anyone to know I overheard this. Scratch that, I want the part about me left out of the gossip mill entirely. What you want to do about your part, or Shika’s, whatever, but not mine!”

“Sakura,” Ino whined, “You’re getting me all hot and bothered, and then give me restrictions like that! You’re evil.”

“Agree to it!” Sakura ordered with a grin. “Otherwise I won’t tell you anything more – and there are boys involved…”

Ino threw herself on the table dramatically, arms wide. “Okay, okay, I promise. But it better be worth it!”

Sakura grinned. “It is.”

First, she outlined the situation, and who were there. Then she told Ino what they said about her – “Oh, I knew Genma liked me, but It’s always nice to hear a compliment. And I always thought he needed to be taken down a peg – to hear that he’s into it only makes it better! Wait, what did he say about the Shintenshin jutsu?” – and about how they discussed Naruto for a bit and then Shikamaru more elaborately, to which Ino only hummed, interested.

After a certain power level, most shinobi were attracted to power more than gender – when you were able to kill with your hands tied behind your back, you wanted a partner who could handle you, and these were always people who could kill you in return, or at least put up a good fight. The more powerful you got, the less possible candidates there were with whom you trusted yourself in bed – never mind in a relationship – so what was between the legs of your partner mattered less and less. Of course, people still had preferences, but in general most shinobi were flexible. 

Hearing the jounin admire Shikamaru was therefore not that much of a surprise.

Plus, he had become one hot dude.

“So then, Genma asked Kakashi about his other student – me. And they started describing me… Well, I still feel flattered. My strength, legs, and even ass apparently, are in their opinion, well, attractive.”

Ino nodded. “You’ve grown into one sexy badass, Sakura, as I’ve told you before – and you know it. But I can’t believe that’s everything. Sure, It’s not everyday you hear other powerful shinobi describe how much they would like to fuck you, but c’mon, we’re grown kunoichi. There must be something else!”

Sakura swallowed, thinking about how to formulate the next part. Sakura was certainly no longer a virgin and had even had a few boyfriends in the last couple of years. One a civilian, which didn’t work out for very long. The second was Neji, though they parted ways peacefully. She’d also dated Yugao for a week or two, but that was more like a fling, in the end. She had grown not only as a kunoichi, but as a woman – and felt more confident in her body and sexuality.

Still, to just recite what Genma had said…

She wasn’t quite as confident as Ino, yet.

“You’re right, of course. Well, you know that Kakashi and I spar every week when we can. And Genma started, well, teasing him. Kakashi I mean.”

She paused for a moment, a blush appearing on her cheeks, and Ino gestured for her to continue on excitedly.

“Well, I won’t repeat everything he said, but it was pretty graphic. And pretty hot as well, though I’m not surprised Genma has a dirty mouth like that.”

“What did he say, Forehead, details. Don’t leave me hanging like this!”

“I’m not gonna repeat that, Ino-pig! But well, it was mostly about how our spar would end with one of us pinning the other down and then instead of stopping, Genma teased that Kakashi would rather take my clothes off.”

“Ahw,” Ino whined, “can’t you give more details than that?”

Sakura blushed. “No way. And that’s not the most important part, anyway.”

Ino raised her eyebrows at Sakura, waiting.

“So Kakashi warns Genma to watch what he’s saying, right, because I’m his friend and former student and all. And Genma accuses Kakashi of being attracted to me and fantasizing about me! He says something that boils down to “admit that It’s hard to concentrate on the spar instead of fantasizing about how you want to fuck her”!”

Ino gasps in delight.

“And I’m waiting there for Kakashi to start punching Genma in earnest,” Sakura says, voice pitched higher, “but instead he agrees! He admitted it, Ino!

He basically confessed that it was hard for him to not get distracted in our spars by his hard-on for me! Ino, what do I do now that I know that!”

Sakura throws her hands in the air, her whole face beet red.

“And all the while he didn’t act anything like that when the guys discussed Naruto.” she murmured with a sigh as she let her hands fall in her lap.

Ino starts laughing.

“That’s amazing! I love Genma!”

“Ino!” Sakura exclaims, blushing even harder.

“Ahw, come on, Sakura, don’t tell me you’re surprised.” Ino responds, still giggling.

Sakura arched one eyebrow. “What, that Kakashi can be a pervert?”

Ino shakes her head. “Well, yeah, that he’d fuck you. I mean, you heard Genma, we’ve both grown into some powerful and hot kunoichi. I think most of the single jounin wouldn’t say no if we asked – there are more powerful male than female nin after all, so we’re more of a rarity.”

“We’re not objects, Ino.”

Ino waved her hand. “You know what I mean. Point is, of course Kakashi has entertained certain thoughts about you. Although I’m surprised he actually admitted to it – he always likes to fake his indifference in, well, anything, really.”

Sakura covered her face with her hands. How could Ino be so blasé about it? Sure, on some level she knew Kakashi was a man, and she was an attractive female, so of course he may have entertained a thought or two. But she knew that on a superficial level, like she knew Naruto masturbated – _donotthinkaboutit_ – she’d never actually taken time to consider the thought.

“But Ino,” she sighed, “I never thought of him that way before, really. Well, I had admired his body like any men-loving person would, wondered what was under his mask, but never… well, you know. Actually thought about having sex with him.”

Ino leaned in. “And now you have. And if you’re so embarrassed about admitting that, it means you liked the thought.”

Sakura made a high-pitched sound that sounded somewhere in the vicinity of a whine.

Ino started grinning. “Oh, ho, Sakura, do I sense a new boy toy?”

“Ino!” Sakura shrieked, battering her hands at her blonde friend in hopelessness.

“Oh, come on, it has been a while since you ended it with Neji, right? And one night stands are not your style, so I know it’s been a while…”

Ino knew her too well.

“But you don’t understand, Ino. The way Kakashi talked… First defending me, and then admitting to wanting me like it was losing a war! If he’d just liked my body, he would’ve casually agreed about my attractiveness like he did with you or Shika. But he’s a private person. Admitting such a thing openly like this, it sounded like…”

Sakura trailed off, and Ino turned to look at her seriously.

“It sounded like he _liked_ me.” she eventually confessed.

Ino stayed quiet this time, her bright pupilless eyes scanning the pink-haired kunoichi thoroughly.

“Do _you_ like _him_?” she eventually asked.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know, to be honest. He’s one of my closest friends, he’s funny, I think he’s attractive, but I just never looked at us in that way.”

Ino hummed. “Well, I can tell you about what I know from his exploits. As far as I know, Kakashi has never dated anyone seriously – ever. There were some rumours about a girl on his genin team that he was in love with that died, but I’m not sure about that, to be honest.”

Sakura stayed silent. Kakashi had actually told her about Rin, and Obito, and everything that happened, but it didn’t feel right sharing that with Ino.

“Other than that,” Ino continued, unaware of Sakura’s inner thoughts, “he does take a lover for a night once in a while, often people who have the balls to approach him first. Mostly civilians or low-level chunin.”

 _People who are not a threat_ went unsaid. People to fuck, not to fall asleep next to.

“He has no real preference gender or appearance-wise. But,” Ino smiled mischievously, “he’s rumoured to be quite the lover – and an adventurous one at that. All the Icha Icha he reads must be very educational, for there were several people that were disappointed he was not looking for something more permanent. Though,” and here she sounded disappointed, “his face has always remained a mystery.”

Sakura giggled. “Well, that’s good to know, but I’m not worried about the hypothetical sex. If we would do this, we’re too close to just have sex without strings. And I’m unsure about whether we would, well, fit that way, or if there’s nothing more between us than friendship. We’ve never had that _spark_ , you know?”

Ino nodded, then smiled. “Well, one way to find out!”

* * *

_The Hidden Kunai_ was the most popular shinobi bar in all of Konoha – and it looked like it.

Booths with enough space between them to make it obvious when someone was listening in, bitter sake, a lack of fancy decorations, and plenty of dark corners to hide in.

When Ino and Sakura entered the bar, their blonde and pink hair were the brightest spots of colour in the whole place.

The atmosphere was good, though. Comfortable. There were plenty of shinobi already at the bar, so several heads turned as the kunoichi walked in.

As they should. When Ino proposed they “dress up, go out, and seduce some jounin” Sakura had tried to protest but ultimately given in. Her strapless emerald-green dress was decent – but skin tight, while still managing to hide a kunai or five.

While her silver, elaborate necklace diverted her attention away from her modest chest, the dress ended just below the curve of her ass and directed all eyes there. Her legs were bare and shiny, looking even longer than normal. A pair of black heels finished the outfit, no makeup needed.

Except for the foundation covering her ANBU-tattoo, of course.

Ino, meanwhile, went with the classic little black dress with a low neckline, not wanting to “upstage you too much, Forehead, tonight is your night”, bandaged thighs, and simple red heels which matched her lipstick.

They were dressed up for a fun night out, fitting in well enough with the crowd. As they looked around for familiar faces (or searching for specific ones), they spotted some at their usual table.

“Hey guys!” Ino called out as Sakura waved and they made their way over. Behind her back, Ino made some gestures to Kiba who was standing at the bar.

As Kiba came back, carrying drinks, the rest of the table came into view. Shikamaru was relaxing at one end, a spot for Kiba next to him. In the middle of the booth Genma and Raidou were whispering together as they scanned the bar. Next to them, Gai was talking loudly about nothing in particular while waving his arms.

Next to Gai, slouching casually in the shadowy end of the booth and easily overlooked next to the enthusiastic Green Beast of Konoha, was Kakashi.

The spots next to Kakashi, on the other end of the U-shaped booth facing Kiba and Shikamaru, were empty.

Sakura smiled at him and her stomach fluttered nervously at his returning eye-crinkle.

Taking her chance – feeling Ino’s eyes on her – Sakura casually slid into the booth to put herself next to Kakashi, as Ino joined her to fill out the booth completely.

“Hi guys!” Ino greeted as she grabbed a drink from Kiba’s assortment.

“That was mine, troublesome woman,” Shikamaru sighed, but obediently grabbed a different drink. Sakura stifled a laugh just picked a beer as well.

Next to her, Kakashi straightened. “Something came up, right?” he teased, referring to her cancelling their spar.

Sakura smiled. “Well, you know I can never say no to Ino. Besides, I have tomorrow evening free as well – you’ll survive.”

Kakashi fake-gasped. “But Sakura, tomorrow evening I may have a very important appointment with some very important people that I can not miss at all!”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Let me guess: Reading Icha Icha and hiding from Gai? Besides, I checked the mission roster – nothing there.”

“What do I hear about you hiding from me, eternal rival!” Gai shouted as Kakashi gave her an innocent eye-crinkle which meant she was right and he wouldn’t admit it. “I will find you! And if I cannot find you, I will do a thousand push-ups! And if I cannot do a thousand push-ups, I will run five hundred laps around Konoha, backwards! And if I cannot-”

“Sorry, Gai,” Sakura interrupted him before he really got going, “but I’m going to keep Kakashi busy tomorrow night, You’ll have to find him another time.” She pretended politely not to hear Kakashi’s relieved sigh.

Gai nodded gravely. “Of course, young cherry blossom. I would not dream about disturbing the passionate power of youth between you and my eternal rival!”

Ino, listening along, burst out laughing. Kakashi, meanwhile, groaned while swatting a hand at Gai as Sakura felt a blush creep up her face. Normally she would have ignored Gai’s… Gai-ness, but now it hit a little too close to home.

“How many beers did you guys have already?” Ino asked with a smile.

“The sun went down hours ago,” Kakashi told her, “and everyone knows the best way to make up for her lost warmth is to get inside and warm each other up with friendship. And alcohol. Lots of alcohol.”

Now that she was looking more closely at the rowdy group, Sakura agreed with Ino. No one was drunk yet, but the volume indicated there were all well on their way.

“It seems we have some catching up to do, Ino!” Sakura teased her friend.

A fire lit in the blonde’s eyes, and Sakura swallowed. She’d forgotten for a moment Ino was a woman on a mission. “You’re right, Forehead. I’ll be back in a moment!”

After the blonde had disappeared, Sakura turned to Kakashi, whose glass had suddenly become empty. “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she sighed.

Kakashi grinned under his mask. “Well, you guys came out for a reason, right? All beautifully dressed up, there must be something to celebrate.”

Sakura was glad the blush was still on her face from Gai, or it would have appeared once more. He thought she was beautiful? Keeping a straight face, she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “We don’t need a reason to celebrate to look good!” she teased.

“Yeah girl! You can look good all over me any time!” Genma shouted from her left with a lecherous grin.

Remembering the way he had described her just this afternoon, Sakura couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’ll keep my good-lookingness on this side of the table, thank you very much.” she responded good-naturedly.

“Be that way. I’m sure Kakashi doesn’t mind!” he replied.

If Sakura hadn’t been looking for it, she would’ve missed the dangerous flash that appeared in the Copy-nin’s lone eye as he glared at Genma, who gulped in response.

Luckily, Sakura was saved from having to respond to that by Ino arriving at their table with a bottle of sake. “Here you go, Sakura. Time for us to catch up!” the blonde shouted as she slammed several shot glasses next to the bottle.

Sakura grinned at her best friend. As a medic-nin and student of Tsunade, her alcohol tolerance was quite high. Not only was she used to drinking with her shishou, she could also speed up her metabolism with nary a thought – and cure any hangovers the next morning, which made Ino declare to want her babies time and time again.

“Now,” Ino spoke, “Let’s make a small bet. We each have eight shots. Whomever tosses them back the fastest, wins.”

By now, they had the attention of the rest of the table as well.

“Oh, oh!” Kiba cut in. “I know, whomever wins has to kiss the loser!” His grin was blinding.

Raidou shook his head even as Genma made an interested noise. “That doesn’t even make _sense_. But, you’re both single, right? So… Whomever loses has to kiss Genma!”

Genma made a wounded noise. “Hey! Kissing me is not a punishment!”

Ino was too busy laughing, but Sakura was not. “No way! I’m not kissing Genma!” Not after what he said about her. Genma gasped dramatically, but Sakura rolled her eyes at him. “You’re just not my type, loverboy.”

“So insulted!” Gena cried out.

Raidou sniggered. “Okay, then if Ino loses she has to kiss Genma. Sakura, if you lose, you have to kiss…”

The older men’s eyes swept around the table, taking in Gai’s too-blinding smile, Kiba’s silly posturing, Shikamaru’s raised eyebrow, and Ino’s meaningful look, before landing on…

“…Kakashi!”

Sakura felt her former sensei freeze next her in surprise and forced herself to not look at him as she met Raidou’s challenging gaze and smirked.

“You’re on.”

Kiba grinned as Shikamaru added “Without his mask!” with a cheeky smile.

This was enough for Kakashi to unfreeze and make a strangled noise before straightening and airily ask “What mask?” as his left hand straightened the very mask he was denying the existence of.

Meanwhile, Ino had poured the sake bottle into the sixteen shot glasses in a flash. There was only a small bottom of sake left, which she passed to Kiba. “You know what, sure!” she proclaimed as Genma cheered once more. “Let’s go. You’re on, Forehead.”

The two friends exchanged a look as the table made room for them to face each other, shot glasses in hand. Shikamaru had dubbed himself the referee by virtue of being too lazy to make room for someone else, and was looking at the two friends curiously.

 _This is your chance, Forehead_ Ino’s eyes told her.

 _Please, Ino, like I would ever lose to you_ Sakura’s inner fire responded.

Shikamaru sighed before opening his mouth.

“Three…”

Though Sakura admired the tactic, there was no way she would be voluntarily losing to Ino in anything.

“Two…”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kakashi being unusually attentive while playing it off as bored – but his orange book was nowhere in sight.

“One…”

Did she think this was the best way to test out the waters between them? A dare-kiss on his probably masked mouth in a public place like this?

“Go!”

No.

With lighting fast speed, both kunoichi drowned their first shots. And second. And third. The fourth and the fifth went down without effort, but the sixth made them both slow down for just a little bit. But they were keeping up with one another.

As Ino drowned the seventh, her face had become red and she had to pause to take a breath for just a moment.

Sakura had already sped up her oxygen intake on her last breath to be able to drink in one go for longer than any non-medic nin could manage.

(Tsunade had been a good shishou.)

The seventh and eight went down without pause, finishing the last one just a second before Ino, who had drowned the last two in one go.

But it was not enough.

“Winner, Sakura!” Shikamaru proclaimed with all the enthusiasm that he could muster. Which was more than she’d expected of him – but still very little.

“Ha!” Sakura cried out as she threw her arms in the air, while Ino groaned in defeat.

“Stupid Forehead-girl.” Ino grumbled, but she was smiling.

Sakura just threw her a wink and then gestured for Genma to lean forward. “Well, sir, I think Ino has something to show you?”

Genma almost crawled over the table with a big smile, hanging still in the middle of the table, waiting for Ino to come to him.

Sakura flopped down next to Kakashi with a smile as Ino threw her hair back and started kissing Genma with more enthusiasm than she’d expected from her friend.

Interesting. It seemed Ino had created a side-quest for herself.

As the others were distracted by the spectacle of Ino kissing Genma as theatrically as possible, Sakura turned to Kakashi, who was staring at the table resolutely.

Lowering her voice, she curled her hair around a finger and smirked. “Disappointed?” she asked in a playful tone, the alcohol already in her system and boosting her nerve. A side effect of the sped-up metabolism.

Instead of blushing or ignoring her, as she’d expected, Kakashi instead turned to her as well. His lone eye studied her, trailing upwards from her neck, pausing on her smirking lips, before finally looking her in the eyes. She couldn’t read the emotion that flashed in his eye.

“Maybe.” he murmured.

Her breath caught in her throat at the hint of heat in his voice. Sakura wanted to respond but was interrupted by Ino and Genma breaking off their exaggerated kiss and Ino falling down next to her in her seat, pushing her half in Kakashi’s lap.

One of his arms caught her waist before she could literally fall into his groin, and she could not help the small shiver that ran up her spine as his warm hand helped her back into her seat.

Impulsively, she trailed a hand fake-casually along his leg as she climbed off him and did not imagine the tightening of his grip on her arm.

Two things happened at the same time.

First, shy from her impulse, Sakura focused her gaze on Ino next to her, and thus missed both the way Kakashi’s eye followed her hand and the knowing smirk of Raidou who was watching both of them.

Secondly, she could feel a sudden spark of heat in her belly that ignited her whole body. For a moment, she had the sudden urge to climb back into Kakashi’s lap again.

Shit.

* * *

“Your turn, Kiba! Fuck, marry, kill – Hyuuga Hiashi, Shino, and Jiraya!” Genma said.

Several drinks later, the atmosphere had become even rowdier and all of them had gotten more drunk. Gai had left the table, as he always got up at five in the goddamn morning, but the shinobi that were left were getting cozier. Sakura was managing just fine on the edge of pleasantly buzzed, too aware of Kakashi next to her to drink much more.

“I’d marry Shino, easy. He’s a cool guy! And… Hmmm, I guess I’d go with killing Jiraya – too old and probably too straight as well – and see if Hiashi really has a stick up his ass!” Kiba whispered the last part with a grin.

“I hope he never hears that…” Shikamaru groaned. “So troublesome.”

“Ahw, c’mon, Shika, as if you would say anything different. That makes it your turn, you know! For you…” Kiba”s eyes roamed around the table, “Izumo, Kakashi, Ayame.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Okay. I’d marry Ayame, because that seems the least troublesome and I actually like ramen. And then I’d kill Izumo and fuck Kakashi.”

“I’m flattered,” the Copy-nin said, fluttering his eyelash.

Shikamaru blew him a kiss as Sakura tried not to let her mind wander down the gutter.

“That’s good, because it means you’re next. How about…” Shikamaru”s eyes narrowed just slightly, noticing how close the copy-nin was sitting to his pink-haired friend. “Genma, Shizune, Sakura.”

Sakura swallowed, trying to act casual as she turned to look at her former sensei. He was pretending to think it over, eye turned skywards and finger tapping his chin.

“I’d fuck Shizune, and kill Genma, just to make him shut up.” He ignored the indignant shout the aforementioned ninja gave. Sakura couldn’t help but snort in response. “I think fucking Genma is more effective in shutting him up,” she murmured while Ino started laughing next to her and Kakashi rolled his eye.

“I’d marry my cute Sakura-chan, of course! Even though she makes dirty jokes like that,” Kakashi finished with a too-innocent look.

Sakura pouted exaggeratedly, not too sure what to feel about that. Did that mean he only liked her as a friend, after all? At the same time, he called her “my cute Sakura-chan” a few hours ago when moments later admitting to wanting her, so hey.

Luckily, Ino was a little more sober, and leaned over to poke Kakashi in the side. “Ah, scared you can’t handle my beautiful best friend? She _is_ a wild one!” the blonde said teasingly, though Sakura could here the edge of interest in her voice.

Sakura made a token noise of protest.

Kakashi just shrugged, and Sakura was about to deflate, taking a sip of her beer, before the copy-nin added “You know, Ino, people tell me I have a thing with wild animals. I tamed my ninken myself.”

Sakura chocked on her drink as Ino grinned approvingly at Kakashi, who was innocently staring back. And was that a hint of red she saw peek above his mask?

Before Sakura had more time to think about Kakashi’s words, the silver haired nin addressed Ino once more.

“Since you’re so interested in my choices, it’s your turn, Ino! Genma, Gai, Shikamaru.”

Ino rolled her eyes. “Marry Shika, fuck Genma, and kill Gai.”

“Glad to see my kissing skills didn’t disappoint!” Genma grinned while Ino stuck her tongue out to him.

“Please, woman, don’t. That would involve far too much effort.” Shikamaru sighed.

Ino ignored him and turned to Sakura with an evil smile. “Your turn, Forehead. Kakashi, Neji, and… me!”

“You can’t nominate yourself!” Sakura admonished while at the same time admiring Ino’s move.

Sly little vixen.

“Why not?” she responded with a grin, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I’m a catch!”

“Hell yeah!” Genma put in his two cents.

Sakura sighed. “Okay, okay, sure. Well, since you’re my best friend, I’d marry you, of course.”

“Ahww, yeah!” Ino exclaimed while pumping her first in the air like she hadn’t planned that exact response.

(As if Ino wouldn’t have killed her if she said otherwise.)

But now she had to choose between her ex, who everyone knew she had liked – and fucked – at one point, and Kakashi. Who was her… could be her… something.

Well, whatever.

Next to her she could feel Kakashi shift slightly in his seat, raising his beer to take another sip.

Tapping her chin, hiding her evil smile with her hand, she waited just a moment until…

“Kill Neji, fuck Kakashi.”

The sound of the spit-take Kakashi made next to her did wonders to soothe her daring nerves.

“Really? Didn’t you date Neji for a while, Sakura?” Raidou asked as he shot a look at Kakashi that Sakura could not interpret.

Sakura shrugged, deliberately casual, twirling her hair. “Been there, done that, you know? Besides,” she continued as she turned to Kakashi, “Maybe I just have a thing for masks and what’s underneath them,” and added a wink.

Kakashi had recovered admirably and was now arching his eyebrow at her. “If that’s your motivation for fucking me, I’d have to disappoint you, Sakura. I don’t take my mask of that easily – not even for a pretty kunoichi.” he teased, though his voice hitched slightly on the word fucking.

Sakura smiled at his compliment but leaned forward with an exaggerated pout. If she’d had bigger boobs and no necklace, Kakashi would have had a nice view. As it was, his eye flickered down for a moment, anyway. “I’m not just _any_ pretty kunoichi though, _sensei._ ” she said softly, almost purring the last word while she fluttered her lashes at the grey-haired jounin.

This time, she did not miss the way lone eye widened in shock, even as his pupil dilated.

Sakura smirked.

Then Genma called “What are you guys whispering about over– ouch, Raidou!” and the moment was broken.

* * *

An hour later, only Genma, Ino, Kakashi and herself were left at the table. The hour was late, and the bar had become emptier. The loud, enthusiastic atmosphere from earlier had been replaced by an easy but intimate feeling, the few groups left huddled closer together in their own corner. The music had been toned down to a pleasant background hum.

They were, of course, playing truth or dare.

No one ever said they were classy.

“Ugh!” Genma made a face after having to drink a mix of sake, lemon juice, and pepper. Lots of pepper.

Kakashi, the one to give him the dare, was smirking cockily behind his mask, headband askew.

Ino was smiling as well, though her eyes were glazed over. “Whatever, sucker, stop complaining. It’s my turn! And I chose dare!”

Genma brightened, as he was the one to chose the truths and dares for Ino. “Okay, okay – well, I need something to get this taste out of my mouth, you know.” Ino sighed. “I’m not kissing you again, Genma, be original.” Genma pouted. “Okay, well, then kiss… Sakura!”

Sakura shrugged. Not like they hadn’t done this before – often in very similar situations.

“Ah, men,” Ino sighed, but still turned to face Sakura.

Sakura was about to lean in to give Ino a quick peck on her mouth, but Ino’s eyes flickered to Kakashi for a second.

Right, Sakura thought through the alcohol-induced daze in her mind. She was on a mission tonight. Find out if she and Kakashi had and kind of “spark”.

But hadn’t she already had that spark way earlier?

Did this mean she was seducing him now?

Wait, what?

Then she was distracted by Ino’s mouth on hers, and she mentally threw her hands in the air and decided, whatever. _If I’m apparently seducing Kakashi, I’ll do it right_. _I’m a badass sexy kunoichi like that, shannaro!_

Angling her head and putting one hand in Ino’s hair, which had come loose from her ponytail at some point, she let herself be led by Ino – who was always bossy, even when kissing.

Ino gave her a few soft closed-mouthed kisses, first catching her bottom lip in her mouth and then the upper, and Sakura dimly heard Genma cheer.

Instead of stopping there as the two older jounin expected, however, Sakura opened her mouth willingly and Ino took her chance to explore Sakura’s mouth with her tongue. She felt Ino’s hand stroke her arm, the pink-haired kunoichi’s other arm busy playing with Ino’s long strands.

Ino leaned forward just a bit as her tongue twirled around Sakura’s, and Sakura decided to push back just a bit, twisting them both a little to the left.

Coincidentally giving Kakashi the perfect view.

Kissing Ino for just a moment more – she was a good kisser, after all – Sakura pulled back, and Ino let her, though she fell forward into her best friend’s arms afterwards. Sakura felt Ino grin against her bicep.

“How many did you have again, Ino-pig?” she teased, knowing full well that the Yamanaka was the most sober out of the four of them.

She was also the sneakiest.

Sakura threw Kakashi and Genma a “what can you do” look, and smiled cockily as she saw Genma had let his beer fall out of his hand which was now spilling all over the table, his jaw on the floor.

Kakashi, however, was sitting straight in his seat, leaning forward just a bit as if trying to stop himself, completely focused on the two kunoichi in front of him. Sakura’s tongue impulsively swiped across her bottom lip, and his eyes shot to her face with a fire-like intensity.

Specifically, to her lips.

More specifically, _both_ his eyes were on her lips.

Sakura let Ino fall to the table (“Hey!”) as she turned towards the grey-haired copy-nin, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Kakashi,” she said sweetly, “why do you have your sharingan uncovered?”

“Ah,” the copy-nin answered nervously, “that explains why I could suddenly see better in the dark! You see, I thought I had just developed night vision. That’s a disappointment.”

Sakura leaned in close, planting both hands on his legs and channelling chakra to keep him in place.

The fact that this position once again gave him a perfect view of her cleavage was, of course, not deliberate at all.

This time, Kakashi could neither help nor disguise the way both his eyes flickered downwards once more.

Ignoring the way her own body started tingling and the hairs on Kakashi’s arm were raised upright, Sakura punctuated each word slowly as if she wasn’t enjoying this as much as he was.

“Put. It. Away.”

Kakashi obeyed sheepishly.

As Sakura leaned back, Genma judged it safe enough to cut in. “Kakashi! Now I know why they call you a genius, my friend!” he said with a laugh, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

As Kakashi turned to Genma with a sheepish neck-scratch, Sakura held her hand behind her back. Ino responded with a subtle high-five.

Grinning internally, Sakura thought she wasn’t exactly sure why she had suddenly decided to seduce Kakashi – she only knew it was working.

The four shinobi resumed their game without any fuss. Sakura admitted that yes, she had seen Tsunade-shishou’s breasts once – and they were glorious. Kakashi was not-so-subtly ordered to lick Sakura’s ear – “Ewww! Now you suddenly have no problem taking your mask off?” “No one saw, plus, You’re not just _any_ kunoichi, right?” – and Genma was dared to get them drinks, much to his disappointment.

As Ino said truth, Genma wiggled his eyebrows and asked “Would you fuck me?” to which Ino only replied with “If that’s your best move, no.” which caused Sakura to giggle uncontrollably.

Then, it was Sakura’s turn again, who was starting to feel a little bit overwhelmed. There was a lot happening tonight. “Okay, I chose truth.”

“Is that because you don’t want to actually get up from your seat and do something?”

Sakura smiled at her best friend. “Maybe?”

Kakashi huffed out a laugh, and Ino sighed. “Sure then, Forehead. Let’s see… Oh, I know one!”

Seeing the flustered look on her friend’s face Ino decided to have mercy. “Of all the shinobi in the bingo book, who do you want to sleep with the most?”

The two older jounin made interested noises, both going over their own mental bingo book as well. Sakura, with her near-perfect memory, did not have to think long.

“Well,” she admitted with a small blush, “it may be something of a taboo, but…”

The other ninja at the table looked at her attentively.

“Eh, well, Uchiha Itachi for sure.”

Genma gasped. “Konoha’s very own boogyman? Daring, daring, Sakura!”

Kakashi hummed next to her. “Same.”

Sakura whipped around to face him. “Really?”

Kakashi met her gaze solemnly for a moment, and something unsaid passed between the two high-level shinobi. Ino frowned confusedly at the pair, but they paid her no mind.

Then the moment was over, and Kakashi shrugged. “Super dangerous, super pretty, untouchable – It’s like an Icha Icha fantasy.”

Sakura nodded. “Yeah, exactly.”

Everyone at the table politely did not mention anything about her having a thing for Uchiha’s.

“You make a good point, actually.” Genma admitted.

“I always make good points.” Kakashi agreed.

“Inflate his ego more, Genma, like he needs that.” Sakura sighed. “Besides, it was originally my point, so I win!”

“Was it a competition?” Ino wondered.

“Of course, and I win! So now I get to choose for you, Kakashi! Truth or dare?” The medic threw a half-lidded glance at her former sensei, teasing him to choose the dare.

Kakashi regarded her for a moment, then leaned back with an eye-crinkle. “Truth, of course. I’m always honest.”

Sakura snorted, not sure if she was disappointed or not. Still, she could work with this. “Okay, well then, tell us – what is the kinkiest thing you’ve ever done in the bedroom? Or out of it, of course. Not for a mission – for your own pleasure!”

“Ooohhh,” Ino chimed in, “please do tell. I’ve heard- well, never mind.”

Kakashi ignored Ino and shrugged, shifting subtly into a more aloof position. “Well, It’s actually pretty hard to experiment in the bedroom when my mask is always in the way. Plus, I am a very boring person. I don’t even know what you mean with the word “kink”. Does this mean there is a problem somewhere? Because I can assure you, though I may not be adventurous, everything is working exactly as it should be.”

Genma sighed. “Never mind, Sakura, he’s entered his bullshit-mode. That’s the most you’ll get out of him. I’m actually surprised about how honest he was up until this point.”

Sakura shared a look with Ino, and therefore missed Genma leaning in and mouthing to Kakashi “You’ll never get her that way, friend,” only for Kakashi to glare at him while fidgeting slightly.

“Well,” Ino popped up, “It’s time to call it a night, anyway. We have things to do tomorrow,” she said as she waved her arms vaguely.

“Spoilsport.” Genma accused Ino with a smile. “But alright. You can go – if I get a kiss!”

Ino sighed and leaned over to plant a big, fat kiss on Genma’s cheek, to which he cheered loudly – again.

Sakura, distracted by her two friends and leaning down to grab her bag, almost missed Kakashi leaning in towards her ear, murmuring softly.

“Icha Icha Paradise, page 145.”

* * *

“Sakura, I love you. Please have my babies.”

Ino sighed happily as the pink-haired medic moved her green-glowing hands away from her best friend’s head, own hangover already cured.

The morning sun shone on the two kunoichi as they slumped over Ino’s couch.

“Love you too, Pig. And talking about love – you have those Icha Icha novels, right?”

Ino waved her hand towards one of her bookcases. “Bottom shelf, why?”

Sakura skimmed the collection of dirty novels until she found the one she was looking for. “Paradise?” Ino asked. “That’s the best of them, but…”

Sakura hummed as she sat next to Ino and sank backwards into the soft couch she herself had hauled one-handed from the department store three years ago. “Let’s see, page 100… 120… 142… aha, 145!” she said triumphantly as the two kunoichi look at the page.

Or better said, the image on that page.

Both of their eyes widened.

“That’s a nice picture, Forehead, but why…?”

Sakura blushed and gaped like a fish, unable to get words out for a moment. Whatever she’d expected when she remembered Kakashi’s words to her yesterday, it certainly wasn’t this.

The illustration pictured a woman laying on her back on a large bed, cockily smiling at the reader, confident and in charge. All eyes were drawn to her smile, which was impressive considering the rest of the picture. The woman’s left hand was holding the head of a short-haired male laying on her left, who was showering her breasts with attention while wearing a very distracted expression. The source of the distraction was clear when you looked at the right hand of the woman, which teasing the rim of a very pert ass that belonged to a second man, kneeling on her right side. He was kneeling over the lower half of her body, hands unseen but probably doing naughty things to the woman’s private parts as his head was on groin-level with the shorter-haired male. Though the second male had longer hair which obscured the view, there was no doubt on what his mouth was doing with the other men’s cock.

“Well, yesterday, remember the last question? To Kakashi?”

Ino made an interested noise. “The one he evaded?”

Sakura nodded. “Well, as you were squabbling with Genma, he whispered this page number to me.”

“Hah!” Ino exclaimed. “Even more proof that he likes you! And seeing this – well, admit it, you would love being that woman. Oh, oh, read the whole scene, don’t just look at the pictures!”

Sakura felt her ears go red, resolving to do that later _in private_ even as several pleasing images popped up in her head. “I don’t know, Ino. He only confessed that he did something like this once – but that doesn’t mean he wants to do that with me. And whomever the third person would be. I don’t even know if _I_ would like that.”

Ino shrugged. “It’s called Kage Bunshin, honey. And I can bet a strong shinobi like him is impressed by your strength and confidence, or else he wouldn’t get turned on by sparring with you. He doesn’t seem like the submissive type, though – I think he’s more someone who likes a woman who can stand her ground as his equal.”

Sakura hummed in agreement.

“And never mind Kakashi’s kinky tales – I’m more interested in Sakura’s seduction experience! You felt a spark, didn’t you?”

Sakura smiled at her friend. “Yeah, I did.”

Ino nodded. “I noticed. Because girl, you had game last night!” She faked a tear. “I’m so proud of you. I’ve never actually seen Kakashi look that surprised before. Twice.”

Sakura hung her head in her hands. “Oh, stop it, Ino! I don’t know what came over me last night. I’ve never been so daring before.”

Ino smiled. “Well, I think you did well. Kakashi may be one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha, a genius on the battlefield – but he’s still an awkward dork. His social skills are not that good, as he either tends to joke his way out of things or not show up in the first place. His actions yesterday only prove he likes you. That still means you have to keep workin’ it like that, girl.”

Sakura laughed. “Okay, okay, that’s true. And I don’t regret it, really, I’m just surprised at how smooth it went.” Her voice became quieter. “And I really had fun last night.”

Ino nudged her. “Admit it. You liiiiiiiike him!”

Sakura tried to give her the best eye-crinkle she could, lowering her voice to imitate Kakashi the best she could. “What is liking someone, really? Is it more than just a mix or hormones and pheromones telling us a suitable partner is near? What is the difference between hugging a friend and hugging a partner? Can we even really like someone, if life is fleeting?”

Ino poked her friend on the nose, but then smiled softly. “Don’t worry. I think he likes you, too.”

* * *

Her hospital shift flew by, and before she knew it she’d dwarfed down her dinner and changed into her training outfit. She was halfway down to training ground 15 before she realized this week’s sparring session would be different.

Kakashi and her had been sparring for weekly almost two years now. They had grown apart while she was training under Tsunade, barely seeing each other thrice in just as many years, but that all changed after the Hokage called them both in their office one late afternoon.

She could remember it as if it were yesterday.

* * *

_Sakura stood to attention in front of the Hokage’s desk, wondering what her shishou would need of her, hoping she didn’t have to go on another spontaneous sake run. When she saw the other ninja in attendance was Hatake Kakashi, however, Sakura knew there was something serious coming._

_“Are we waiting for Naruto, shishou?” Sakura asked after Tsunade had said nothing for a minute. Why else would she call on Kakashi and her? They never really worked together, or did anything together, really._

_But the blonde Hokage shook her head. Instead of answering, she made a series of hand symbols and slammed her hand on a seal on the underside of her desk._

_Sakura straightened, and in the corner of her eye, she could see Kakashi do the same. She knew that seal. The office had become secure and sound-proof to even the Hokage’s personal ANBU._

_What was going on?_

_Deciding to keep silent, Sakura noted the blank expression on Tsunade’s face and the sharpness of her eyes as the Hokage raised her head._

_“I have called you two here for several reasons. First, Kakashi, you are my chosen successor – don’t give me that,” she chastised him as the Copy-nin made a noise of protest, “we’ve talked about this before. Second, Sakura, you are my chosen medical successor – this involves eventually leading Konoha’s hospital, as we’ve talked about before, but several other things as well.”_

_Sakura swallowed. She knew the hospital director part, but this was the first time Tsunade had ever mentioned other things._

_“Third,” the Hokage continued, “you are both teammates and precious people to Naruto Uzumaki. Fourth, you are both former teammates of Sasuke Uchiha.” She saw Kakashi stiffen next to her, and felt her own body tense up as well. What did this have to do with Sasuke?_

_“Lastly,” Tsunade finished, “I can trust you.”_

_A flock of crows flew by, calling out over the city of Konoha. No sound was heard inside the office._

_Tsunade rose from her position behind her desk, clasped her hands behind her back, and met both of their gazes._

_“I am a different Hokage than Sarutobi-sensei, bless his soul. I, too, am aware of Konoha’s darker side, but I’ve chosen to not hide them from those I trust, even as I am aware I will burden you with the weight of Konoha’s shadow like it weighs on my own shoulders, every single day.”_

_Tsunade paused to take a deep breath._

_“You are both smart and rational people, who are used to the darker side of shinobi life. Unlike your teammate, you do not hold yourself and the world around you to unreachable ideals.” She sighed. “While I admire the strength of Naruto’s faith, and know that if we all thought like him the world would be a better place, this faith and refusal to give up means he is not ready to confront some truths about Konoha. They would break him.”_

_From an unseen drawer of the Hokage’s desk, Tsunade took out a single file. At first glance, it seemed like it was only a few pages thick._

_The way their Hokage held it made it seem like it held a library._

_“I ask you both to read the whole report before asking me questions or drawing your conclusions. Know that most of the people responsible for this are either dead, enemies of Konoha, or a certain councilman we are working to get rid off.”_

_Danzõ. Sakura was not surprised he was somehow involved in this._

_She waited a moment, but it seemed like Tsunade was done speaking. The Hokage laid the report on her desk and shoved it towards the two shinobi._

_Sakura exchanged a look with Kakashi, then nodded in determination._

_As Kakashi uncovered his sharingan, Sakura was the one to take the file and remove the front cover._

_Only to take a step back immediately._

_“No.”_

_It was out of her mouth before she had any control over it._

_She’d always been a fast reader._

_She did not want to read this._

_But she had to._

_Kakashi was next to her, unmoving._

_It took more willpower than she’d ever admit to lift her hand to turn the pages of the report._

_Slowly, page by page, eight in total, student and teacher read about the greatest crime Konoha had ever committed._

_All of it put on the shoulders of one man._

* * *

After reading the file, Tsunade had explained that Itachi’s eyes were deteriorating and Sakura was now his medic in case he ever requested her help. She also expressed that it was unlikely he’d ever ask, that he’d never come to her, even when she knew his eyes were getting worse and worse.

Oh, and Itachi expressively ordered that Sasuke would never hear of this.

After that conversation, Sakura and Kakashi made their way silently in unspoken agreement to the training grounds.

To completely beat the crap out of each other.

* * *

_If it were any other day Sakura would have been proud for keeping up with her former sensei, seeing the surprise in his lone eye._

_But there was no joy to be found today._

_There was frustration of knowing but being able to do nothing about it – confrontation with the blood stained hands of Konoha, too red even for ANBU-captain Hound – the sadness this would one day bring their bright, blonde teammate – desperation about how this could send their missing teammate down a dangerous path – and most of all, grief for the most loyal shinobi Konhoa had ever produced, treated like trash._

_“How could they do this to him?” Sakura had whispered as they laid side-by-side in a crater in the middle of training ground 15, heart aching._

_“I was his captain,” Kakashi had whispered back, his voice more broken than Sakura had ever heard him before._

_“How could I have not seen this?” There was more self-loathing in his voice than she expected. Either he trusted her more than she thought, or there was something else going on there._

_“He was 13 when this happened. His own family.”_

_“He’d always told me he was a pacifist at heart. Never killing when he could knock someone out, never raising a hand when he could open his mouth instead._

_Sakura had grasped his hand. “He’s dying, he_ will _die, unknown, unloved.”_

_Kakashi, to her surprise, squeezed back so hard she had to reinforce her hand with chakra. “He chose the people of Konoha above his own flesh and blood, and as a reward got thrown into the most brutal missing-nin organization known to us for years.”_

_Sakura barked out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. Remembering the Shinobi Rule Book she had memorized since she was eight, Sakura recited: “It is honourable and sweet, to sacrifice yourself for the Village.”_

_A moment of silence._

_“The oldest lie of them all.”_

* * *

Some experiences bring people closer together, no matter the distance between them.

From that day on, the two members of team 7 met up regularly at that very training ground. In the beginning, it had been about simply being together with the one other person – aside from Jiraya, who was never in Konoha, and the Hokage herself – who _knew_. A secret as heavy as that, shared between two shinobi who had been through much together already, created a bond.

Then their spars actually turned out to be a lot of fun.

They were pretty evenly matched; Sakura still lost, of course, but less and less as the days went by. The first time she managed to press Kakashi against the ground with a kunai to his throat and did not let him get up, three months after their weekly spars started, she felt like she could topple mountains.

She actually could, but whatever.

Now, two years of ANBU-training and a solid friendship between the two of them later, sparring with Kakashi was always a bright spot in Sakura’s week. She was confident it was the same for him.

It was relaxing. Easy. Familiar.

Until it was not.

As Sakura entered Training Ground 15, she could see the grey mop of hair already lazing under a tree.

“Every time you’re here earlier than I am, I can’t help but be shocked.” Sakura greeted her sparring partner.

Kakashi gave a lazy wave back, eye on his book. “It just so happens that one of my favourite hiding spots to read Icha Icha is underneath this very tree.”

Sakura snorted.

“Besides,” he continued, “some things are worth being on time for.”

Fighting back a small blush, Sakura couldn’t help giving him a soft smile that she covered up by grinning. “You must love getting you ass kicked, than.”

“Mah, don’t be so hard on your old sensei! Don’t I get senior privileges?”

“Please,” the pink haired kunoichi replied sarcastically, “You’re not that old. You’re just trying to play up your age to change Tsunade-shishou’s mind about being her successor.”

Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha with a wounded expression. “Long hours, massive amounts of paperwork, political nonsense, and no free time to read at all. I don’t wannaaaa…” he whined.

Sakura was always impressed by the way one of the strongest shinobi in the village could act like such a child. “You were saying something about being old?”

Kakashi pouted, then huffed. “Time is just an illusion anyway. I don’t even like time. It’s always passing me by – sneaking up behind me, ready to take me down when I least expect it.”

Sakura laughed and shook her head. “You done your warm-up stretches, yet?”

Kakashi just hummed, eye back on his book.

Shrugging, Sakura started warming up. Cracking her shoulder and neck muscles, she started to fall into a familiar routine. Circling her arms to get the blood flowing, she then threw her medic pack on the ground next to Kakashi, startling him slightly, then smirking when he threw her an accusing look.

Sakura unzipped her vest next. It would be warm enough when they got going, she thought with a smile.

She almost didn’t catch the way Kakashi’s eye lingered on her zipper moving down, before his eye flashed back to his book again.

Right.

A flicker of heat appeared in her abdomen.

Sakura cursed silently. She’d been so caught up in reminiscing what brought them here that she’d completely forgot about what happened yesterday.

But it did happen.

And she liked it.

Apart from kicking his ass, Sakura had another mission today.

Turning her back to her former sensei, Sakura started her next series of stretches. Moving her hips for her back muscles, then bringing her hands to her feet to stretch her legs.

If she happened to add a bit of sway to her hips, pushing her ass back a little bit more than usual, well, she was just stretching, right? Slowly, sensually, almost caressing her legs with her hands as she straightened herself. Arching her back while her hands pressed some of her back muscles, resting her hands on the crook of her hips when she was done.

Sakura quickly turned around to smile innocently at Kakashi. “I’m ready!” she chirped at him.

Though his eye was once again on his book, she did not miss the faint hint of red that peeked out above his mask.

Who knew the great Copy-nin blushed that easily? That must be while he wore a mask, Sakura thought with a smirk. She wondered what his blush would look like without it…

Kakashi had put his book away and rose to stand in front of her, giving her an eye crinkle. “The usual, today?”

The usual meant no restrictions on both of them, except the more dire techniques like Kakashi’s Mangekyõ or her Strength of a Hundred seal.

Sakura pretended to think it over. “Actually,” she said, “Let’s make it taijutsu-only. I need some physical exercise,” (true… sort of) “and I have some chakra-intensive surgeries tomorrow.” (lie).

Kakashi narrowed his lone eye. “Sure, but you can’t use your chakra-enhanced strength, then. I’d like to keep my bones unbroken.”

Sakura smiled. “If you keep your sharingan covered, deal.” Otherwise he was too fast for her.

A sigh. “The things I do for my favourite- hey!”

Kakashi was unable to finish his complaint as a fist appeared in the place his head was a fraction of a second ago. Not wasting anymore time complaining and giving his jounin-level sparring partner more openings, he jumped back to make room between them before falling into a defensive stance.

“You’re so mean, Sakura,” he complained. But behind his mask, she could see the outline of a grin.

Sakura grinned, the thrill of a fight already beginning to make itself known. He wanted her to take the lead, right? Prove herself his equal? Well, let it be never said that Haruno Sakura backed down from a challenge!

“Shannaro!” the pink-haired kunoichi cried out as she advanced upon Kakashi with a mighty jump.

She could see his grin growing even bigger underneath the grey-haired shinobi’s mask as he blocked her first assault, which was only really a feint anyway. Familiar with each other’s fighting styles, the duo traded a well-matched series of punches, dodges, kicks, and blocks.

The sun shone brightly on the two of them today, the cold wind from the west pleasantly cooling their skin.

After a few minutes they were starting to work up a good sweat. An excellent time for banter, if you asked Sakura.

“You’re getting slow, old man!” Sakura taunted as she narrowly evaded Kakashi’s elbow.

“Says the one holed up in the hospital all day!” her opponent shot back, even as he let out a soft “oof” as one of her kicks grazed his stomach.

“At least I’m using my skills for something other than reading porn!” she called out while dodging a punch.

“It’s not porn, It’s adult reading material. You’re an adult yourself, Sakura, have you never been curious about Icha Icha? I can really recommend them,” Kakashi teased while dodging to the left.

Sakura smirked, thinking of Ino’s collection. “Actually,” she said with a devilish look in her eye, “I’ve read one. Icha Icha Paradise, to be exact.”

His lone eye widened. “You have?!” he answered in disbelief, his movements slowing in surprise.

Sakura shot him an innocent smile before going in for the kill. “I’ve read better.” she tells him nonchalantly while taking advantage of his shock by kicking him square in the chest, halfway across the training field.

Kakashi wasn’t considered the next Hokage for nothing, however, and landed neatly on his feet. Even at this distance, she could see the affronted look on his face and couldn’t help but smile.

“How can you say that!” he cried out as he appeared in front of her in a flash. Sakura backed off, trying to create space between them, but felt her back hit a tree as Kakashi neatly manoeuvred her in a corner. Shit.

“Please,” Sakura kept up the conversation even as she tried to slip by him back onto the open field, “the plot twists were interesting but the dialogue was just too cheesy.”

Kakashi didn’t let her escape and managed to catch both her hands in his own and press them above her head. Pressing his leg between her own, he effectively pinned her against the tree.

They both stilled, breathing heavily. Her mouth tasted like sweat and she could smell Kakashi’s as well, the usual salty smell mixed with something earthly and sweet that was uniquely _him_.

Sakura suddenly became very much aware of the intimate position they were in. Kakashi’s covered face was close to hers, and she could feel his breath through the mask on her forehead. He was looking down on her, after all these years still the taller of the two. Both his arms were above his head, holding her wrists together against the tree. She could feel every inch of his legs pressed against her thighs.

Tilting her head and looking Kakashi in the eye, she could see by the slight widening of his eye that he himself was also not unaffected.

But the spar was not over yet. He was not just going to let her go because of some awkward positioning. He was too competitive for that, and they’d been in similar positions like this before.

Then why was it only now affecting her so much?

Kakashi spoke up. “I’m hurt, Sakura, hearing you critique Jiraya-sama’s masterpiece so easily. Cheesy dialogue? You’re just making things up!”

Sakura snorted before giving him an evil grin, an idea popping up in her head.

“I’m not.” she replied as she rolled her eyes. “I mean, there are just too many examples to think of – all in this one book.”

With her back against the tree like this, Sakura could not escape without using her chakra-enhanced strength. But she did have some room to manoeuvre.

Tilting her head further back against the tree, Sakura arched her back sideways to show off the curve of her ass. At the same time, she pressed her chest forward, angling it just so.

“ _Oh, Ruko-sensei,”_ Sakura repeated the heroine of the Icha Icha Paradise series in an breathy voice, looking down in a faux-shy manner, “ _you are so strong… Please, you have to help me. I would do anything to become a better ninja!”_ she said while looking up, catching Kakashi’s eye, then licking her bottom lip and pouting slightly.

Kakashi’s eye was staring at her lips, pupil dilated. His mouth was slightly open beneath his mask, and once again a hint of red was peeking above his cheeks.

His grip on her arms slackened.

The only warning Kakashi had was her pout changing back into an evil grin.

Sakura changed from the innocent sexy seductress back to the battle-ready kunoichi in the blink of an eye, bringing her hands down to the side while using her elbows to push him away from her. A second later, she was free and back into the middle of the training field, looking at her former sensei with triumph.

The famous Copy-nin was still looking at her as if in trance, but only for a moment. As soon as he realized what had happened, he laughed while running his hand through his hair.

“You’ve always been a smart kunoichi.” he remarked with an eye-crinkle.

 _Hm,_ Sakura thought, _he thinks I was just teasing him. Well, I was, but there was nothing “just” about it. How to remedy that…_

She smiled at him. “And I’ve grown up into an even smarter one.” she answered while moving in an offensive stance again and gesturing at him.

Kakashi shook his head for a moment, composing himself, before coming at her once more.

They fell into an easy dance again, but Sakura was not planning on giving Kakashi much time to recover. After a few moments, as the silver-haired jounin threw another punch at her, she made her move.

Instead of simply dodging, as she normally would’ve done, started to dodge only to grab his wrist at the last moment. With a burst of chakra, her other free hand grabbed his and she threw him against the ground with her chakra-enhanced strength.

As Kakashi’s back hit the ground, he tried to kick with his feet to hold her off, but her strength was too much for him. Sakura moved down with him, using her burst of speed to straddle his hips with her own as she held his hands against the ground next to his head.

Just like Genma had described.

Kakashi glared at her accusingly, still with his head in the fight. “Cheater!”

Sakura smiled. “Shinobi.”

The masked nin sighed, letting his head fall back to the ground. “You’ve learned well.”

“And now I won.” Sakura replied triumphantly.

“Yes, you did.” Kakashi said while the ghost of a proud smile was visible under his mask.

A beat of silence.

“You can let me up now.”

Sakura grinned, then pretended to think it over. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably, and Sakura took the opportunity to subtly shift her own hips downwards just a bit until she was sitting directly atop of his groin, one leg at either side of him. Kakashi stilled.

She acted as if nothing was wrong. “It’s not every day I win our spars, you know. You have to let me enjoy my victory.”

“Sakura.” Kakashi groaned, and the sound sent a shiver up her spine. “This is quite an uncomfortable position.”

“I’m actually feeling quite comfortable.” she said while moving her hips slightly, grinding softly against Kakashi’s groin.

She could feel him respond underneath her as his visible pupil dilated once again.

“You’ve grown into quite the beautiful woman, Sakura-chan, and you may have noticed, I am but a simple man…” Kakashi tried once more, but Sakura was not deterred by the use of her childhood form of address like that.

If he was trying to reminded her about he had (sort of) taught her for barley a year, as if he was trying to find an excuse to not do something about the sexual tension between them, she was not going to let him.

“Really? A simple man? Can a complex organism such as the human race ever be described as simple?” Sakura therefore responded in the same goofy manner Kakashi himself often used as an avoidance tactic.

“Although,” she whispered cockily as she brought her face closer to his, “I can give you the _man_ part.” His eye bore into hers, and there was no mistaking the heat in his gaze. This time, she grinded their groins together more obviously, and there was no mistaking the growing hardness she felt starting to poke into her centre, even separated by layers of clothing.

Then she suddenly straightened, letting go of his hands. She didn’t want to force things between them.

“Well then,” she sighed dramatically, “I better listen to my elder and-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Kakashi surged upward with a growl and flipped them around in a flash.

Now she was the one laying on her back, and he was in between her legs, grinding down on her. His hands were next to her head, as well, though he was not holding her in place forcefully.

Maybe Genma was a fortune teller, Sakura mused inwardly even as she was distracted by the way his hips pressed into hers. She could not deny the heat of arousal that was now coursing through her body, her excitement and pride over her own forwardness mixed with the satisfaction of being able to tease the great Copy-nin so much that he gave in to his own desires.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, woman.” Kakashi said lowly even as he moved one of his hands from next to her head towards her hips, trailing down her side as he did so.

“Maybe I’m inviting you to play with me.” she shot back with a smile, tongue slowly wetting her bottom lip, unafraid of his posturing.

Then his masked lips were on hers.

Sakura smiled in triumph before responding as well as she could. She moved one hand to his hair and another to his neck, keeping him pressed close against her. She felt the hand on her hip moving to her ass, stroking it reverently before squeezing it softly.

Kakashi nibbled on her bottom lip, but all she could taste was the mask. She knew how big of a thing it was for him, and did not try to take it off, but she had to admit – it annoyed her. She was worth more than a mask!

Sakura kissed back the best she could, moving her head in tandem with his even as one of her hands snuck toward his hitai-ate to uncover the sharingan.

As soon as his left eye was uncovered, Kakashi leaned back and stared at her with both eyes open, a question clear in both of them.

She smiled at him with a mix of heat and affection in her gaze, hair ruffled and a blush on her face, clothes rumpled, giving his sharingan time to take it all in as Kakashi dragged his eyes up and down her body tangled with his.

When his eyes reached her face again, Sakura opened her mouth.

“Next time, Kakashi,” she told him, “I want to kiss the man, not the mask.”

He closed his eyes in something akin to pain, and Sakura quickly moved her hand to his face, holding him in place lovingly but firmly. She knew his tendency to overthink everything, and not in a good way, so she was determined to prevent him from doing that.

“We’ve known each other for a long time now, Kakashi, and we’re good friends. If we are going to be serious about this, and I intend to be, we’re going to have to let each other in.”

When Kakashi opened his eyes again, the pain in them had transformed into something akin to hope.

“Okay,” he admitted softly. “Okay.”

* * *

Sakura waved at Shizune as she approached the Hokage’s office. After the conversation with Kakashi, they’d each gone their separate ways, as he clearly needed some time alone to think. Now, two days of hospital work later, she was summoned by Tsunade-shishou.

“Hey, Sakura.” Shizune greeted. “Time for your monthly mission?”

Sakura nodded with a smile. “Yeah, and I’m glad. I’m itching for some action, to be honest.”

Shizune laughed. “I still remember the tantrum you threw when you and Tsunade were making that deal, you know. I think it’s good that you did, though. You seem happier ever since.”

Sakura smiled. “I am.”

Shizune smiled back at her friend. “Well, go on ahead, your mission partner is already in there.”

Sakura nodded and went to enter the Hokage’s office. She was mostly send on missions no longer than a few days because of her value at the hospital, so she had no set partner. There were some common partners for her, though: Shikamaru, Team Gai, or Ino were some of the people she worked well with.

And, of course, though less often paired together because of his high-profileness, there was…

“Kakashi!” she greeted him with a hint or surprise. “On time, again! You’re losing your touch.”

The object of her thoughts of the past few days waved back at her, slouched in front of the Hokage’s desk.

Tsunade smiled at her apprentice. “I told him the meeting was two hours earlier than it actually was. I can’t use that technique too often, sadly, or he’ll start showing up even later. Also, again?”

Colouring slightly at the reminder of their last spar, Sakura waved a hand in dismissal. “Smart tactic, shishou. Does this mean we have a mission together?” she asked while shooting a look at Kakashi, who looked slightly tense, but other than that aloof as usual.

He met her eyes, and she forced herself to not start blushing even harder. She’d felt so confident on the training field, but right now, she was just nervous.

Tsunade nodded. “That’s right.”

Distracted by each other, both shinobi missed the way their Hokage’s eyes flickered between them.

Tsunade reached for a different scroll on her desk than the one she was preparing to offer to the two shinobi just a moment before, smirking slightly as she cleared her throat.

She pretended to ignore the way two of her best shinobi started slightly at the sound of her voice and did not grin evilly at all.

Seems the rumours Raidou had told her about an certain evening at the bar were not too far-fetched after all.

Sakura needed to get out more, anyway, if you asked her. After all, in her years of traveling outside Konoha she had gotten up to all kinds of _fun_.

“This mission is ranked higher than it’s worth, but the client paid enough for it to be handled like the A-rank it pretends to be, instead of the B-rank it is. Both of you work hard for Konoha, so think of this as a small holiday.” Tsunade told the duo with a smile.

Sakura perked up in interest.

“The client requested a pair of shinobi to go undercover in guise of going on a honeymoon to his resort aimed at married couples.” The Hokage’s smiled turned devious. “There has been money disappearing from their vault for a while now, small amounts each time but over time starting to amount to almost a million yen. Go there, find the thief, and stop him. Undercover, of course. You have two weeks.”

Kakashi was silent for a moment before speaking up. “Undercover operations are not our specialty, Hokage-sama.”

Tsunade grinned. “Did I hear you say: gosh, Hokage-sama, what a good learning opportunity?”

Kakashi hung his head and sighed towards the floor at the same time as Sakura answered her shishou’s devious grin with a wink of her own.

Two weeks, with Kakashi, pretending to be a couple.

Sakura loved her shishou.

So she threw Kakashi a knowing look, enjoying the way his hands itched to fidget with something, and bowed to her Hokage.

“Hai.”

* * *

[edited 25.06.2020]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m surprised how often Kakashi is portrayed as some alpha-flirt – I mean, I see the appeal and he’s definitely one of the most powerful shinobi – but he’s an emotionally scarred man with a mask who hides behind porn novels. Do you really think his emotional intelligence and social abilities are high enough to be a spontaneous master seducer?


	2. A Chance Encounter

It is a rare night for Uchiha Itachi.

A night so rare one may even call it _unique_.

Why? Well, it is actually very simple.

This was turning out to be a night in which he could let go of _all_ his masks and simply be… himself.

Usually he struggled to remember who exactly Uchiha Itachi even _was_. Since the moment he’d first held a kunai and hit the bullseye on his first try, seeing his father’s eyes start to glitter, he’d started wearing masks.

Of course, Itachi was not stupid. He’d plan for this, once every few months, a few moments for himself. Moments in which he could lower his guard, silently, indulging in the very few hobbies he had. Without the layers and layers of deception that pressed upon him daily.

But even in those moments, he was in control. He’d planned it, wanted it, controlled all possible risks.

He was definitely not in control _now_.

Of course, he had sought the medic out for a reason. But, just as was so often the case with him (had to be the case with him), there were thirteen other reasons hidden behind the first one.

When he first planned this encounter, weighed the risks, the possibility of being something closer to _himself_ instead of the S-class missing nin he played the part of 24/7 was tempting. He’d even dotted out three backup plans to allow for that option.

Ultimately, he’d discarded them. The former Hokage’s apprentice was too much of an unknown to him. The risks were too high.

Well, Itachi thought to himself with a kind of shocked amazement, look where all that had got him.

He’d _definitely_ not planned for _this_.

(When his eyes landed on her companion, it was his undoing.)

For all that Itachi unflinchingly sacrificed all he had for Konoha, for Sasuke, the memories he had of his former village were only rarely positive.

The expectations of his father. The reverence of the academy teachers. The resentful looks of his fellow genin.

There was a reason Shisui had been his only friend.

Luckily, Itachi had always found happiness in the small things. The moments alone with his mother. The sun shining down on Konoha, civilians laughing and making merry without a care in the world. The laughter of comrades after a mission succeeded.

(Sasuke.)

Then Itachi entered ANBU.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, in the bosom of the elite assassins, he found a home.

A team. Maybe even something that one could call friends, if one was a killer trained from youth.

Yamato. Yõji. Kõ. Yūgao.

Hatake-senpai.

(If he was any more naïve, he might have called it a crush.)

As the months went by, the bonds he had with Team Rõ grew stronger. He’d felt more at ease with them, more himself, even as the missions they did went against his very nature.

(Hatake-senpai always made sure Itachi was assigned the most bloodless task in the mission whenever possible. At first, Itachi had thought it condescension. He had soon revaluated his judgement.)

Of course, over a year after he’d joined Team Rõ, the clan started plotting their rebellion. The rest was history, or so they say.

The memories, however, were still untainted. Happy. In his darkest moments, too often lately, as his vison dimmed and dimmed and dimmed, Itachi closed his eyes and revisited them.

(The curve of his chin, the ripple of muscles across his shoulders, the kind words.)

Of course, these moments, these memories, might as well be non-existent when Itachi donned his Akatsuki cloak. The mission above all. Sasuke above all.

Which was also the reason he decided to seek her out, in the end.

Haruno Sakura.

His personal medic.

When Tsunade-sama informed him of the change, the unflappable Uchiha had actually snorted. Out loud. Kisame would have made fun of him for _weeks_.

But his reaction was genuine. He would never seek her aid, he had thought confidently. Why would he?

But his vision worsened quicker than he had estimated. Sasuke would notice, now.

So on towards Haruno Sakura he went. His brother’s former teammate. Beautiful, kind, strong. Pure-hearted.

(Too good for this world. Too good for him, surely, and here he was, asking her to condemn herself by healing a mass-murderer.)

For Sasuke, he would make this sacrifice.

As Itachi approached the inn just hours ago, spotting Haruno Sakura in her disguise almost immediately, starting to turn in her seat, he prepared his genjutsu.

Only to falter as his eyes moved to the person sitting in front of her.

Hatake-senpai. Kakashi. _Unmasked._

Itachi’s breath hitched as his eyes roamed over Kakashi’s exposed face. The angle of his chin, the fullness of his lips, the dimples. Even with the eyepatch and the wig, the Copy-nin still looked _breathtaking_.

The Uchiha almost felt like an voyeur.

(If that thought made his heartrate quicken, vivid imagination matching up the two elite shinobi sitting on that table, then no one had to know.)

This frozen realization only took seconds. The longest lapse he’d had in years- decades.

It was enough for Haruno’s head to finish turning before he’d cast the jutsu to hide himself.

It was enough to doom him.

He still followed the plan, as best as he could. His main objective accomplished. But then-

The warmth in his lone eye.

The way she cocked her head.

Eyes caressing his body, up and down, fuelling a fire his groin he had last felt years and years and years ago.

Words cutting right through him.

Hands held out in invitation.

It all led to this.

(When his eyes landed on her companion, it was his undoing.)

Itachi was sitting in the middle of the bed, legs spread wide, hands flat on the rumpled sheets. In front of him, Kakashi was kneeling on the edge of the bed, body curved upwards.

Standing upright like this, Sakura was just a little taller than Kakashi. She was smiling.

There was nothing innocent about that smile.

The medic had her left hand fisted in grey hair, the other teasing Kakashi’s cock. Her head was still in the crook of the copy-nin’s neck from where she’d been sucking it, earlier.

Her eyes were clear.

“You like this, Itachi?” she whispered, playing with the hair at the base of Kakashi’s cock. “Seeing him like this?”

His whole world had narrowed down to the bed and the two people in it, with him.

Kakashi had closed his eyes, panting. When Sakura used the grip on his hair to jerk his head to the side, he simply let out a moan.

Itachi swallowed. His eyes were glued to the curve of Kakashi’s neck. He couldn’t stop his tongue flickering out to wet his lips.

Sakura smiled and _pushed_.

Kakashi followed her directions gracefully, falling blindly but precisely between Itachi’s spread legs in the way only a shinobi could.

Making use of gravity, Kakashi opened his mouth and sank down on Itachi’s cock in one smooth movement.

Itachi’s breath hitched.

That was the moment Kakashi opened his eyes once more, one sharingan red committing the Uchiha’s reaction to memory. Permanently.

“Fuck,” Itachi whispered. And Kakashi began to move.

Leaning on his elbows, still half-kneeling, Kakashi bobbed his head up and down oh-so-slowly. Every time he pulled back to the head of his cock, his tongue flickered across it.

The heat on his cock was incredible. His hands twitched towards Kakashi’s hair.

Itachi felt his sharingan flickering through, the temptation to turn it on almost irresistible.

Before he could there was a hand on his chin and the smell of cherry blossoms in his nostrils.

“Not yet, I-ta-chi.” Teasing the vowels of his name, wrapping around them like she was caressing them with her tongue. “Not until I say so.”

He bit his lip and forced himself to hold on.

Kakashi sped up slightly, one hand creeping upwards to play with his balls, the other disappearing down his own body.

Itachi whimpered. Wanted to hide his face in his hands immediately after.

“Now,” Sakura commanded with a sly smile as she pushed him back into the bed. He didn’t resist, falling backwards into the pillows gracefully as she positioned herself over him.

Losing sight of Kakashi sucking his cock was worth it as Sakura crouched over his head and pushed her cunt in his face.

“It’s time you put in some work, don’t you think, Itachi?” the pink-haired medic demanded, unyielding. It made him shiver with the need to prove himself.

“Show me.”

 _With pleasure,_ he thinks as he breathed in the smell of her wet heat and opened his mouth.

It is the last coherent thought he has for a while.

Surprisingly, he does not mind.

* * *

_two days earlier_

* * *

“So, to summarize: two days travel, changing into our disguises at the end it and staying in a nearby town; the next day, we travel by foot to the resort and check in at their hotels under the names… what was it… Jin and Maya Takeshi?”

Sitting in one of the Hokage’s tower smaller conference rooms, mission details spread out before them, Sakura was making notes with one hand and taking a sip of her coffee with the other as Kakashi nodded.

“Yes,” he answered, “and the client will meet us on the second night during the ballroom dance.”

Sakura smiled at him. “Can you even dance?”

Kakashi scratched his head. “A little. It’s been a while, honestly,” he answered with a shrug.

The pink-haired kunoichi’s smile turned into a smirk. “Don’t worry, I’m sure your performance will be up to par.”

His eyes met hers, glittering with amusement.

Sakura continued with a sly quirk of her mouth. “Maybe we should practice on the way there, of course. I wouldn’t you to have any performance issues when we do it in public for the first time.”

“Uh,” Kakashi answered in a slightly strained voice, shifting in his seat and not meeting her eyes, “yeah, maybe. We’ll see.”

The hint of red that appeared above his mask almost made her preen in satisfaction.

“Anyway,” Sakura continued, deciding to have mercy for now, “we should get over to Maya’s to pick up some disguises.” She thrust her coffee in Kakashi’s direction. “Hold this,” she commanded as she started gathering up her notes and the mission details.

The grey haired shinobi looked back just in time as the kunoichi basically threw her coffee at him. Still trying to get his hormones under control, the next Hokage felt remarkable like a green genin as he scrambled to catch her coffee cup.

Hiding his wince as the coffee half-spilled over his fingers, he tried to look aloof as Sakura looked up.

“Catching kunai from your blind spot while flipping yourself upside down is no problem, but you try catching a cup of coffee with forewarning and you spill it all over yourself?” the pink-haired devil teased him.

 _Enemy kunai aren’t thrown by a pink-haired attractive woman with a dirty mouth who smell nice and succeed in distracting me every time for some reason_ is what he wanted to say.

Instead, he just gave her an eye crinkle.

Sakura sighed as she moved towards him, plucking the coffee out of his hands and setting it back on the table. “Let me look at that – I wouldn’t want to leave any burn marks that would need you to explain.”

Kakashi chuckled, waving his hands. The left actually kind of hurt. “Ah, I’m sure I could come up with an explanation.”

Sakura did not miss how his shoulders relaxed as her green-glowing hands grabbed his waving hands and soothed his burn.

Up close, she could still see the remains of a blush on the visible part of his face. So after the brief green glow faded, and Sakura was left holding both of Kakashi’s hands in hers, she cocked her head with a smile.

As Kakashi went to remove his hands from Sakura’s grip, he found her grip on his hands was stronger than he’d anticipated.

When he gave her a questioning look – was there something wrong? – she held his gaze as she brought his exposed fingertips to her lips and pressed a soft kiss against them, holding his gaze all the while.

Cursing himself for feeling like a flustered schoolboy holding hands with his first crush, the grey-haired copy nin almost missed her wink as she let go of his hands.

“A kiss always makes it better, don’t you agree?” the kunoichi cheerily said as she rose from the table and left the room.

Kakashi decided not to answer, instead focusing on getting himself under control and his dignity back together.

He was acting like a teenager with a crush! He was basically (forcefully) being groomed as the next Hokage, he had a flee-on-sight rating in three of the five major shinobi nations, he’d been an ANBU captain for several years…

And he couldn’t handle the not-so-innocent fliting from his pink-haired friend?

(Never mind that he’d been thinking of her far too often for over a year.)

(She was far more than a friend).

With a sigh, the famed Copy-nin let his head fall on the table with a dull _thunk_.

He couldn’t let it go on like this.

 _Get your shit together, Hatake,_ he told himself sternly as he rose from his seat with a determined glint in his eyes.

It was his turn to make a move.

* * *

Konoha had several shops which were subsidized by the Hokage for shinobi to get their specific equipment. It wouldn’t do that a lack of funds be the reason for a mission failure.

For undercover missions and non-jutsu disguises, the appointed shop was called Maya’s.

Maya’s was a cheery little shop just two streets to the left of the Hokage Tower. Sakura had never been there before, so when she entered with her mission partner trailing somewhere behind her, she looked around with interest.

The shop was not very broad, but stretched out far longer than she first thought. The walls were painted a muted yellow and the whole store was littered with racks of all disguise-related things you could think of. Outfits, shoes, wigs, accessories, make-up, and behind the counter she could even see some facial prosthetics and coloured contacts. The musty and chemical smell coming off the disguises made Sakura wiggle her nose in distaste, though the colourful look of the shop was pleasing.

In the back of the shop were several changing rooms, out of sight from the main street. The counter on the left was made of rough hardwood with a young woman standing behind it, who greeted them with a perfunctory smile.

“Greetings,” the brown-haired woman welcomed them into the shop, “and welcome to Maya’s. My name is Kyu, how can I help you?”

Sakura handed over the official scroll that indicated their budget, and smiled at the woman. “Two civilian disguises for two weeks. Let’s make it three weeks just to be sure.”

Kyu gave the scroll a quick once-over before nodding and storing it under the counter. “One for you, miss, and one for…?”

Sakura turned around to see her lazy former sensei only just now entering the shop behind her.

Suppressing a sigh, Sakura shook her head and almost started to admonish her mission parted for being (sort of) late.

But there was something in his stance that stopped her. There was a determined glint in his lone eye that sent a shiver down her spine. For a moment, the lazy bum persona was nowhere to be found. Instead, the figure in front of them was a cocksure, dangerous _man._

But then he cocked his head and gave the two woman in the shop a goofy eye-crinkle. “Yo.”

“…ah, you are her mission partner, shinobi-san?” Kyu asked Kakashi with a interested tilt to her voice that convinced Sakura she had not just imagined things.

What was going on in that head of his?

“Ah,” Kakashi said with a nod and then leaned back against the doorframe with casualness that was expertly feigned.

“Well, then,” the woman continued with a tinge of red on her cheeks, “please, follow me.” If it was directed more at Kakashi than at Sakura, well, the kunoichi politely pretended not to notice.

Kakashi inclined his head in response and tilted himself upright.

As Kyu disappeared between the racks, Kakashi gestured at her to go first.

Sakura couldn’t help but give him a teasing smile. “Such a gentleman!”

Following Kyu into the store, Sakura started looking around with a critical eye. She would need a wig, yes, and some rich-merchant style clothing. And some kind of weird accessory that would make people focus on that instead of on her face. Maybe some kind of headdress?

Caught up in her contemplation, the kunoichi missed Kakashi’s lone eye following her decent into the shop, slowly scanning her from head to toe and lingering on the curve of her hip for just a moment.

Kyu, emerging from the racks with a handful of wigs, did not.

The brown eyes of the shop assistant narrowed for just a moment before vanishing behind a polite mask of interest.

Sakura chose that moment to turn back to Kyu again.

“These three may suit you, kunoichi-san,” Kyu said as she handed over the wigs. Sakura took them with a frown. Two of them were a dull brown and looked a little frayed, while the third one was so blonde it looked fake. She was supposed to be a wealthy newlywed, not a cheap prostitute!

“And you, shinobi-san, might I suggest…”

Sakura turned around to see Kyu putting a long-haired wig on Kakashi’s head. The wig was a deep chestnut brown, with hints of maroon in it, and the hair was so long it spilled over his shoulders. It was already done up in an elegant ponytail, however, and seeing Kakashi with it on made Sakura think of Haku in some manner.

She had to commend Kyu’s taste. The darker colour of his hair changed his whole face, and the long and silky hair was very un-shinobi like.

Sakura wanted to run her fingers through it.

The way Kyu was pulling the wig over Kakashi’s head, however, sent off a warning bell in Sakura’s head.

Not only was her mission partner clearly tense, as any shinobi would be with a stranger’s hands close to their head, the way Kyu was trailing her hands over the wig in a way that was bordering on unprofessional.

Sakura did not like the woman.

When the wig was on – a good fit – and Kyu chattered on about the possible matching contacts, her hands trailed a bit too close to Kakashi’s neck.

In the blink of an eye, Kyu’s wrists were caught in a vice-like grip as Kakashi took a step back.

The woman stared at him in surprise and a tinge of fear.

“I can fix my disguise myself, Kyu-san.” He released her wrists and gave her an eye-crinkle to soften his words. “But thank you for the assistance.”

Please. Kyu worked in a shinobi shop. She should’ve known better.

Sakura held back a snicker but when Kakashi tilted an eyebrow at her it didn’t go unnoticed.

Spotting a black surfer-style necklace to her left, Sakura picks it up and hums.

“Maybe this’ll finish the look?”

Stepping closer to the Copy-nin, Sakura lifted the necklace and saw him consider it, then give an barely noticeable nod of approval.

Instead of handing over the necklace as was her first instinct, Sakura pushed herself basically through Kyu, nudging her to the side so she could stand right in front of Kakashi, and looked him square in the eye.

“Here. Let me.”

With a sly smile, Sakura slowly – for a shinobi – brought her hands to his neck to clasp the necklace around it.

Searching his face for any signs betraying his unease, she was glad to see nothing but an intense and intimate look in his eye as he held her gaze.

The necklace clasped close beneath the soft grey tuft of hair with a soft “click”.

“There,” Sakura breathed, her nose only a hairs breath away from Kakashi’s cloth-covered one, “this finishes the look.”

Stepping back, throwing an icy glance at the now-affronted looking shop assistant behind her, Sakura turned to regard her mission partner’s face.

“Without the mask,” she declared, “your face would not imply shinobi at all.”

Kakashi cocked his head. “That was a lame attempt, Sakura.”

Kyu cut in, enthusiasm a little forced, covering up her unease. “Oh, now, that’s a great suggestion, Let’s just take it off to see-”

Kakashi’s glare was impressive, even with (or especially with) just one eye.

“My mission partner and I will figure out the rest on our own, Kyu-san. Thank you for your assistance, but it is no longer needed.”

Kyu gaped like a fish for just one moment before straightening herself and schooling her face in a blank expression. “Of course,” the words like a bite, as she walked forcefully back to her counter on the other side of the shop.

Now it was Sakura’s turn to raise an eyebrow at the grey-haired shinobi, who scratched his head in response. “Civilians. You gotta be clear.”

Sakura huffed out a laugh. “Fair. She was pretty obvious, honestly. I mean, look at my wigs...”

Kakashi gave an eye-crinkle at her obvious eye roll.

A gleam appeared in his eye. “I agree,” he said while snatching up the three ugly wigs, “be back in a moment.” Then he was gone.

Sakura rolled her eyes once more, stepping further back into the shop where a lone changing room was hidden from view, looking herself critically over in the mirror.

The bad thing about having pink hair and bright green eyes was that people remembered you easily. The good thing was that those two features were usually the only ones people could remember.

Plus, with her chakra-enhanced strength, her muscles weren’t as obvious, which meant her frame passed for civilian more easily as well. Nevermind that she’d grown up as a civilian and knew the tricks.

Turning to the full-length body mirror and contemplating the colour to turn her eyes into, she almost missed the soft footsteps of Kakashi coming up from her left.

He was holding one of his hands behind his back, eye-smile fully present as he came up to her.

The grey haired shinobi twirled his finger in the air playfully. With a smile, Sakura obeyed and turned around to face the mirror.

Turning slightly with her, Kakashi angled his body to face the mirror as well and, in a bold move, plastered himself to her back.

The unexpected warmth of his body lined up behind her made her breathe in deeply in surprise, the smell of sandalwood and musk overpowering the chemical scent of the shop around them. She could feel the hard muscles of his thighs pressing against her backside, their length difference obvious as he could easily put his chin on the top of her head while they were standing like this.

The pink-haired kunoichi’s breath halted for a moment as his innocent expression did nothing to betray the way one of his hands was now on the curve of her hip, the point of contact sending warm needles all through her body.

“I’ve found it. Now close your eyes.” The warmth of his breath against the shell of her ear, even through the mask, was intoxicating. For a moment, Sakura wanted to rebel, just to be contrary, but with a not-very-annoyed huff and the tremble of temptation on her fingertips she decided to obey.

As her eyes closed, she could hear the displacement of air as Kakashi lifted his hands and placed his chosen wig on top of her head.

She was about to open her eyes immediately, but a soft sound from the Copy-nin made her pause as his surprisingly tender fingers started putting the wig on properly.

The strands of pink that had escaped the first time were gently combed back, her shoulder-length hair shifted so that it fit more comfortably underneath the hat-part of the wig. Kakashi’s fingers were almost sweet as he stroked her hair and her skin, trailing down the side of her face with a playfulness that surprised the normally so unshakable medic. His hands moved through the wig, combing it and adjusting the way the hair fell down.

As he drew her hair back from her shoulders, his hands trailed along the juncture of her neck and her shoulders, and Sakura did not move.

A shiver ran through her body. For her, there was no question if she trusted him so near the most vulnerable place of her body. That did not lessen the feeling of intimacy she could almost taste in the air.

Of course, the elite shinobi did not miss anything. His slow exhale tickled her ear, and she could feel him enjoy the moment as well.

The famed jounin pressed himself into her back, hands letting go of her wig and landing on her hips, holding her loosely as she felt him lean in and put his face in her hair as he, dare she say, _cuddled_ her and took a breath-

“Fuck!” Kakashi swore as he stepped back and started coughing. “That wig smells,” cough, “smells,” a deep breath, “like still-smoking molten electrical wire combined with glue! Even with the mask!”

Sakura, meanwhile, turned around in surprise at her partner’s sudden retreat, started laughing at him.

“That’s not funny.” Kakashi sounded petulant. His bottom lip was visible through his mask, that was how intense his pout was.

The dork.

Sakura simply snorted once more, regaining her bearings after Kakashi’s sudden boldness.

Inside, however, she felt warm and fuzzy. She first-hand knew how awkward and closed-off her former sensei could be. That he was flirting with her on his own really meant something.

When Sakura turned around to finally look in the mirror she could admit he had taste as well.

The wig he’d chosen for her was strawberry blonde, close enough to pink that it matched her usual complexion, but not so obvious that it would stand out in a crowd. It was high-quality, the hair thick, shining, and natural-looking. It was long and ended far past her shoulders, starting straight but getting more wavy as it went down, curling up in loose pipe curls at the bottom.

It looked good on her.

Sakura smiled. “I’m pleased and surprised, Kakashi, that you actually could match something that’s not pink with my complexion and still make it fell me. I’ll just, wait-”

Closing her eyes and concentrating, she missed the way Kakashi tried to hide how he preened under her praise as he moved in front of her to inspect her critically.

“It works better than I’d imagined. But, you know I always deliver a quality experience with guaranteed mutual satisfaction,” he teased as she quirked a smile at him but did not move, brows furrowed in concentration.

A minute later, when she opened her eyes once more and blinked against the light, the usual bright-green shade of her eyes had dampened to a duller forest-green.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows, impressed. She looked like a different person.

As was the goal.

“Ah, you know, medical ninja,” Sakura grinned at him, “I’m an expert on how the human body works and how to manipulate it.”

Kakashi simply rolled his lone eye at her, though the movement of his mask betrayed his grin.

“Well, if you’re such an expert, you won’t mind paying for these and fixing the paperwork, right?”

* * *

The sun was hanging low in the sky, the pink-purple hue of the sky spilling down on the village underneath them. A soft, chilly breeze was moving through the air and playing with the single lock of hair that was constantly escaping Sakura’s ponytail.

“It’s time to change.” Sakura turned around at the familiar voice behind her coming from the simple wooden cabin they’d chosen as their last stop.

Beneath them was the village of Hayakawa, close to the actually location of the honeymoon resort their mission would take place at. They would arrive here in disguise, than travel the next day on foot to the honeymoon holiday location where they’d meet with their client.

A day for a civilian would’ve been barely two hours travel for shinobi.

“How are civilians so slow,” Sakura complained as she turned back into the cabin.

Kakashi shrugged. “Maybe we are just fast.”

“Sure, turn it around on us. Let’s see how long it will take before you start complaining tomorrow on the road.”

“You know, I’m an elite shinobi. I never break character.”

“Sure – and I know your character will include _a_ _lot_ of complaining.”

Kakashi just grinned as he followed her into the small cabin, disappearing into the bathroom with his bag as Sakura started changing quickly into her own civilian garb.

It didn’t take long to put on the now-familiar outfit (with the wig washed – twice) and take a moment to change her eye-colour. Mentally, Sakura prepared herself for the lovestruck persona of Maya Takeshi as she pondered over how Kakashi was taking longer than she’d estimated in the bathroom.

“Do I need to help?” Sakura said teasingly towards the closed bathroom door, which opened as soon as she was done speaking.

And stilled.

Jin Takeshi emerged, chestnut-brown hair done up in a high ponytail, hitai-ate replaced by a simple eye-patch, clothes loose though formal, no weapon to be seen.

But that was not why Sakura had frozen.

His face was bare.

Sakura’s eyes trailed down the exposed bottom half of Kakashi’s face eagerly, drinking in the small patch of skin that seemed to go on endlessly. He was handsome – of course he was handsome, not only was his jawline visible through his mask but this was a man she was besotted with already _whatdoyoumeanbesotted_ – but it was more than that. There were two birth marks visible on his face, one on his right cheek and one directly to the left of his mouth. His cheeks had little dimples that Sakura couldn’t help but find adorable. His lips were full and plump and Sakura wanted nothing more than to step forward and capture them in her own. He wasn’t otherworldly beautiful, though she was sure his face could be a weapon just as effective as his jutsu.

He was also blushing.

“I mean, I’m too well-known to really be undercover with an eye-patch and a mask, and since I can’t leave the eye-patch off, because the Sharingan doesn’t work with contacts, and it’s just the two of us anyway, and you were saying a while ago about opening up and that’s always been hard for me but I have to start somewhere and I did want to show you I was serious and…”

The honesty and vulnerability in his face, his bare face, made her heart jump in her chest.

“Teeth.” Sakura blurted out.

Kakashi stopped talking so he could gape like a fish.

Blink. Blink.

“What?”

The kunoichi marvelled once more on the visible confused look on his face, the blush still visible on his cheeks.

Wait. What an idiot she was, standing around like some sort of love-struck teenager with a crush! Come on, get your head in the game, Sakura!

It was just…

“When you talk, I can see your teeth, and they are very neat, neat teeth, I mean, it’s just unusual to see your mouth moving and your teeth showing as you talk…” Sakura trailed off, feeling a blush creeping up her face as well.

Kakashi awkwardly scratched his neck and averted his eyes.

Taking a breath and stepping forward, Sakura closed the distance between them and waited until Kakashi met her eyes once more, staring intently at her. His hands were fidgeting.

A smile broke out on her face and she could feel the warmth in her heart let itself out through her words. “I really appreciate this, Kakashi. I trust you as well, completely.”

As she spoke the words, her left hand cradled his face as if by its own accord. His cheek was soft and smooth, the warmth of his skin matching her voice.

This must be why he wore a mask, Sakura decided. Kakashi, the great Copy-nin, master of a thousand jutsu, blushed embarrassingly easily.

“You’ll be very undercover now- and I’ll have absolutely no problem pretending to be your love-struck wife.”

Sakura grinned.

Kakashi smiled, the corners of his mouth quirking up, the left side slightly higher than the right, and Sakura was going, gone.

“Well,” spoke the handsome shinobi in front of her slowly, and her left hand moved as he spoke, “I do think we should practice just a little bit before we head out.”

Holding out his right hand, he held his thumb and index finger out, almost touching.

“Just a little bit, of course.”

Sakura let her hand slip down from his face, to his shoulders, until it rested on his hip. Thrumming her fingers against the curve of his hip, her right hand joined her left.

“Hmmm,” she murmured, pursing her lips, enjoying the way his eye zoomed in on them, “maybe we should. I mean,”

Sliding her hands a little bit towards his backside, the pink-haired medic nin drew their bodies together. She could feel the warmth of his body against hers.

“We should be comfortable in a lover’s embrace,” she said softly.

Once upon a time, Sakura had thought Kakashi would run as soon as the word ‘lover’ was said within ten feet of him and not related to Icha-Icha.

Once upon a time, that had been true.

“I agree,” the silver haired shinobi said as he drew his arms around her and closed the distance between their heads. Trailing his nose on her cheek, Sakura couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“You’re so like your ninken sometimes, you know?”

“Of course! Loyal,” he lowered his voice slightly, “energetic,” which made colour rise to her cheeks once more, “loves the smell of your hair? That’s certainly true.”

Then he fucking battered his eyelashes at her.

Sakura tilted her head back as she barked out a laugh. “You are unstoppable,” she breathed as she locked eyes with him once more.

“Only for you,” he whispered in reply.

So she kissed him.

The feel of his bare lips against her, soft and hesitant, but most of all tender. The way her heart started beating faster and his fingers tightened on her hips.

She luxuriated in the sensations for one, two, three kisses, before she lost her patience.

She wanted to know what he tasted like.

Kakashi was happy to oblige, of course, opening his mouth to allow her in. He tasted like he smelled but darker, more intense, and Sakura couldn’t stop herself from letting out a small moan.

In response, his arms tightened around her. Now his tongue was skimming the insides of her lips, teasing her, and it felt so good.

A tingling sensation was spreading through her whole body, a fire igniting in her belly.

_Ino, this was not a spark, this was firework._

Sakura loved it.

Their lips connected, their arms around each other, he paused for a moment so they could both breathe before diving back in, and…

And they had a mission to get on.

Fuck. Why was she so professional.

With a sigh, Sakura drew back.

Kakashi was looking at her as if she’d hung the stars.

Not resisting the impulse for darting in for another quick peck, Sakura smiled at him once more and was pleased to see him matching her expression genuinely.

“Yeah, I know,” the Copy-nin half-grumbled. “You’re right. We’re on a schedule.”

Sakura huffed in amusement, still feeling a little flushed. “If we hurry now, we’ll arrive at dinnertime and have plenty time to spare in this evening.” As she spoke, she ran her hands up and down his hips teasingly.

His visible eye darkened and she felt the muscles under her hand tense. “I like your ideas.”

Grinning widely now, Sakura darted in once more and kissed his nose, then poked it with her finger. She breathed in and pitched her voice slightly higher. “Let’s hurry, mister!”

Kakashi scoffed at her, but he was smiling, turning around to get his bag from the bed. “You’re so weird sometimes, Sakura-chan!”

“Let’s just go to Hayakawa, my _darling husband_ ,” and Kami, his eye-crinkle was accompanied by a tiny smirk and dimples and Sakura was done for.

He held out one arm.

Scraping her throat, she called upon her years and years of medical experience and seeing handsome people naked for a physical while keeping a straight face.

Then she smiled at him and pulled her arm in his.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Two uneventful hours later, the sun had just disappeared below the horizon as two figured entered the town’s lovely inn.

“This place is actually very nice,” Sakura commented as she scanned the place. Blue walls with flowers painted on them, a receptionist on their right and the door to the kitchens on the other side of the room on their left. Plus, there were plenty of tables. A mix between a bar and a diner, the place had just the right kind of atmosphere for a casual dinner and drink at six and a rowdy bar crowd at ten.

Half an hour later, checked into the honeymoon suite upstairs and their luggage dropped, Sakura leans back in her seat as she forces her body to relax.

The two of them have a corner table – paranoid habits are hard to shake. Sakura is silently wondering if that isn’t a rookie mistake, but well, nothing to do about that now.

Kakashi – or, well, Jin – is in front of her and telling her about how much he was looking forward to their holiday, which was sincere enough that it was easy for Sakura to smile at.

It was dinnertime, which meant there was actually a waiter coming to their table to take their orders. Sakura had not glanced at her menu yet, as Maya was too busy dreamingly staring into Jin’s eyes.

Sakura felt a surge of warmth as Kakashi ordered just the things she liked for her.

Normally, the two of them would talk about the latest in medical ninjutsu – Kakashi was one of her very few friends who was actually interested in her field of study. About his ninken, Gai’s latest antics, Ino’s latest fling. Their shared love of crossword puzzles. About cooking, one of Kakashi’s lesser known hobbies, which may be partly because while he enjoyed it he was absolutely pants at it.

The only thing Kakashi could reliably cook well was bread – and even that only after a lot of practice.

Still, the best lies are forged in truth.

So they talk about Jin’s dogs, about Maya’s father being ill, Jin’s quirky best friend.

It’s going pretty well, Sakura thinks. She’s twirling her fingers in her hair, giggling and waving her engagement ring. Kakashi is holding her hand between courses. The diner is half-full by now and the atmosphere is relaxed.

Of course, that is when it all goes to hell.

Midway through explaining one of her mothers recipes she suspects Kakashi has been dying to get his hands on, which the glint in his eye confirms, Sakura twirls her hand in her strawberry blonde hair.

The door to the dinner opens once more.

Jin makes a lame joke, and Maya turns her head to toss her hair over her shoulder. In doing so, Sakura does a quick scan of the room, mostly out of habit.

The flash of a cloak catches her eye.

Midnight black covered in crimson clouds.

Akatsuki.

Fuck.

Sakura tenses. She can’t help it. Her head’s already turned back, body moving before her mind realized what she saw, and Sakura thinks –

If you break cover, give onlookers a reason.

So she keeps turning and faces Kakashi and grabs him by the lapel and pulls him in for a kiss.

Kakashi startles, just for a fraction of a second, but quickly relaxed into this kiss. Sakura trails her hand up his arm, pulls back, cocks her head and bites her lip, turning on her bedroom eyes to the fullest.

Her other hand is on his hip, obscured by their clothes. She seeks his bare skin in the gap between his jeans and shirts and taps her fingers in a familiar code.

Enemy spotted. Cover potentially blown. Retreat.

Kakashi doesn’t act like anything is off, going full horny husband on her instead.

It is discomforting because to her, it is so obviously fake.

It will do the trick for strangers, though, and they rise from their table.

Sigh. Their main course hadn’t even arrived yet.

Keeping her heartrate down, forcing her muscles to relax instead of reading for battle, Sakura casually scans the room once more.

There is no Akatsuki cloak to be seen.

But Sakura doesn’t doubt herself.

There is no Akatsuki cloak to be seen – anymore _._

* * *

The door of their room closes behind them. His arms are still around her waist.

Sakura takes a deep breath while her eyes scan the room quickly, thoroughly.

The room is quite large. A comfortable looking couch on the west, big enough for three. A large TV in front of it. Two paintings to either side showing landscapes, not even that ugly.

A single chair in the farthest corner, unremarkable. On the east side, a large four-poster king-sized bed, with velvet sheers and a light golden curtain over it. There are heart shaped cushions on the bed, and Sakura stifles a snort. To the right of the bed are two large windows, the last rays of sunlight spilling into the room.

Next to it, the door to the bathroom. Sakura kisses Kakashi on his cheek, giggles, and trots over to the closed door.

She can’t help the tension of her muscles while she opens the door-

Nothing.

Well, quite a large bathtub and some very soft-looking towels, but other than that, nothing.

She turns back with a sigh, tension seeping out of her shoulders, but not quite gone.

Kakashi is looking at her, one eye still covered, the other finishing scanning the room.

He locks the door behind them quite firmly. Drawing close to her, obscuring their hands between their body as well as they can, the copy-nin starts to flash through several signs.

_No presence, no cameras detected. No sign of forced entry. Not followed. Information?_

Sakura nods and signs back.

_Akatsuki cloak. One, potentially two. Enemy not identified. Unknown if cover blown._

Kakashi stiffened, mind visibly racing. She could almost see him weighing opportunities in his head, calculating.

Sakura makes a decision.

_No sharingan yet. Check windows and audio devices. I check genjutsu._

As Kakashi passes the couch and unremarkable chair, visible eye sharp, Sakura positions herself out of sight of the window. As Kakashi trots over to the bed and starts to close the curtains with the air of someone about to get some. Sakura shakes her head slightly at him, but leans against the bathroom door, closing her eyes and _sensing_.

At the same time, her mind races through possibilities.

 _Pein or Konan unlikely_ , she thought quickly. _Hidan or Kakuzu would have either engaged or not spotted them at all._

No genjutsu on the door, nor on the bed. The bathroom was safe.

_Same for Deidara. Kisame or Tobi would have caused a reaction, even without their cloak._

The couch was clear, the chair unremarkable. The ceiling, maybe? No. Nor could she feel anything in the rooms above them or to their sides as she stretched her senses.

_Not Zetsu’s MMO. Which leaves…_

Sakura’s breath hitches.

_Which means…_

Her eyes fly open, meeting Kakashi’s just as he turns around.

_Sharingan._

She can see the same conclusion she’s just arrived to reflected in his eyes.

As his hands fly towards his eye-patch, Sakura turns around sharply.

_Why would I keep thinking “unremarkable?”_

“The chair,” she manages to choke out as her hands fly to her hidden weapons.

As Kakashi frees his own sharingan from its confines, the genjutsu drops.

“Now, now,” Uchiha Itachi says calmly, casually sitting on that _unremarkable_ chair in the corner of the room, legs splayed out wide. The crimson of the Akatsuki cloak is harsh against the soft blue fabric.

His eyes are bright, his arms spread wide like an invitation.

“No need to be like that, Haruno-san, Hatake-senpai.”

Kakashi drops into a battle-ready stance. Sakura feels herself mimic him, even as her mind races.

Itachi looks completely unfazed.

“It’s far too much of a wonderful day today to ruin it with fighting, don’t you agree?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone recognize the reference to the story [What You Knead](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401478)? It's a lovely Kakashi-focused gen fic in which he copes by bread. Read it.
> 
> Also Itachi's musings and KakaSaku ran away with me. Oops. I once planned this as a one-shot...


	3. Miscalculation

Hatake Kakashi is generally considered to be the single most unflappable shinobi of Konoha.

Part of it was truth, stemming from experience and a general laid-back personality. Part of it was carefully constructed, to conceal his intelligence and strategic talent.

For example, from an outsider’s perspective, as Uchiha Itachi revealed himself lazily draped over the single chair in their undercover honeymoon suite, Kakashi simply dropped into his battle calm as if Akatsuki members crashing his mission was something that simply happened to him over the weekends.

Inside, his mind was racing. His heart was beating fast, so fast, too fast.

Until he was absolutely sure there was no risk of the exposure of Konoha’s darkest secret, he _had_ to act as if Itachi was the enemy. Kisame could be nearby. Akatsuki could have them bugged. This may have to do with their mission. Maybe even something personal – with Sasuke. With Naruto, even – a warning? Intel? But why not seek out Jiraiya-sama for that?

As Itachi lowered his hands and started to uncurl his body from the chair, long limbs moving slowly, deliberately, Kakashi revealed his sharingan eye.

Was Itachi here alone, or was Kisame nearby? Did he knew they knew his secret, or was he unaware? Was he here because of their mission, or because of something else?

His heart was still pounding in his chest. Closing his grey eye, the sharingan flared up as he focused on his former ANBU-subordinate.

The crimson orb took in every detail of the older Uchiha brother. The lines of his face, the colour of his skin, his long and slim fingers.

Even as one part of Kakashi’s mind started to analyse him (chronically tired, sheen of skin unhealthy, eyes narrowed, headache?) another part of Kakashi wanted to cry.

(Itachi had slotted in so well in Team Rõ. Only twelve years old – Kakashi, at seventeen, had been the next youngest. Awkward, maybe, but only in the beginning. Kakashi knew to never doubt Itachi because of his age, unlike the rest of Team Rõ.

Their mutual respect was the beginning of a tentative friendship. As the months went by, it grew into a true one. If Kakashi’s eye strayed to the Uchiha’s delicate lips a bit too often, followed by the burning feeling of shame in his chest-

If one late night after one mission too many, Itachi had come to him, something unspeakable in his eyes, blood and pain and certainty and hope and-

If he’d taken three seconds too long to push Itachi away, chocking out _you’re only thirteen,_ if Itachi had looked at him with piercing eyes, _I’m a shinobi,_ before closing his eyes and leaving, and Kakashi’s lips had _burned_ and his hands were trembling and-

Well.

The next day Itachi had left, anyway.)

Swallowing thickly, repressing the war of emotion and memories going on inside of him right now, Kakashi uses every ounce of his decade-long experience to focus his mind.

_Worst case scenario._

His inner turmoil had only taken seconds.

In the real world, Itachi had risen up from his chair. Kakashi felt himself gather his chakra as if looking at a stranger, arms coming up, fingers twitching-

Only to freeze.

Sakura had taken a single step forward. Towards Itachi. Towards him.

Her hands were held up in a single sign.

 _Hold_.

His own instincts warring with a surge of hope, an undertone of fear of futility.

_“I trust you, as well.”_

Kakashi lowered his hands.

Itachi’s two crimson eyes bore into his lone one for a single beat.

Then the Akatsuki member turned, cloak whirling, hands moving.

The copy-nin couldn’t help but ready himself.

Next to him, Sakura held no such reservations. She was calm, breathing slowly, even though her eyes were sharp.

Itachi had taken something from his cloak. A scroll. As it unfurled, a series of kanji was revealed, expertly made. Even from this distance Kakashi was enough of a seal expert to recognize the style.

Without a single pause, Itachi slapped the seal onto the wall and activated it.

The surge of chakra was brief, but enormous. Kakashi felt his skin tingle as the seal spread out from the paper onto the walls, kanji crawling along the wall as if come alive, fuelled by Itachi’s chakra.

In a matter of seconds, the whole room was covered, including the bathroom. The pressure of the seal, of Itachi’s chakra, dense and powerful, pressed heavily on him for one beat, two, three-

The seals faded almost entirely. The pressure in the air lifted. The scroll was struck to the wall.

He did not need his Sharingan to pick up on the way Itachi slumped forward, exhaling deeply.

But then the missing-nin straightened and turned around, face neutral.

“A useful present from Jiraiya-sama,” the Uchiha simply said, unfazed.

Kakashi turned his gaze to Sakura.

She shrugged a little too casually. “‘Far too much of a wonderful day’. The agreed upon signal.”

Kakashi tried to hide the way he let out a shaky breath.

Instead, he simply blinked and turned back to face Itachi. Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

It was only his still-active sharingan that made him able to catch lowering of Itachi’s shoulders in… relief?

“I was informed that Haruno-san was my medic. Upon being notified of this change, I calculated that the likeness of you being informed about my mission was almost certain, seeing as you are close to the jinchuuriki, S-ranked, and the most likely successor of Tsunade-sama.”

Kakashi’s mind went blank.

“Successor,” he dead-panned.

Itachi, damn him, simply cocked his head. “Of course. Based on your mission record, connections, experience, skills and reputation there is currently no other high-level jounin better suited to Hokagedom. Nara Shikaku is more useful as tactician, Sarutobi Asuma is not skilled enough, and Maito Gai is…”

It seemed that even the great Uchiha Itachi could not accurately describe the Green Beast of Konoha.

It was simpler, for Kakashi, to focus on that.

Sakura, meanwhile, was trying to repress a smile. “Kakashi, don’t tell me you haven’t already realized this. You complain about it to me regularly.”

Kakashi simply stared at her. Of course he did. But it was one thing to have Tsunade-sama talk in hypotheticals and acknowledge the possibility as something that might happen in an alternate reality. Head-in-the-sand had always been an excellent tactic.

It was another to hear it so loudly confirmed by someone who hasn’t been in Konoha for years.

Sakura sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “How even…” she mutters, but straightens.

Kakashi can almost see her shift into doctor-patient mode.

Deciding to leave (abandon!) him to his paradigm-shift, Sakura turns to Itachi and looks him straight in the eyes.

If Kakashi wasn’t so busy processing all that had just happened, he’d be able to control the instinctual panic that flared up at the boldness of her actions.

Considering the way Itachi’s eyes widen, he’s not the only one who is surprised.

“Please, Uchiha-san” Sakura says as she sweeps a hand towards the couch, “sit. Tell me why you sought me out.”

Itachi looks at her blankly.

Sakura sighs, like Itachi is nothing more than a particularly difficult patient, and sits down on one end of the couch. She stares pointedly at Itachi until he slowly starts to move to the other end.

As soon as he sits down, Sakura turns to him with a serious gaze. “You would have not sought me if you had not been in extreme circumstances, I’m sure of that, Uchiha-san. As you currently not bleeding out or otherwise on the verge of death I can only assume that it has to do with the Sharingan. Is that correct?”

“When I use the Mangekyõ,” the copy-nin boldly cuts in, now leaning against the wall next to the sofa, “my vision worsens each time, as does prolonged use of the Sharingan.”

He lets the statement hang in the air.

Though the tension in Itachi’s shoulders has not disappeared entirely, his former ANBU-subordinate actually has the ghost of a smile at his lips.

“You are correct,” Itachi voices, seemingly comforted by Sakura’s professional behaviour. “I would like to request you to take a look at my eyes, Haruno-san. Of course, if you have any objections or feel uncomfortable,” _treating me,_ Kakashi mentally adds, “that would be completely understandable.”

Kakashi almost raises an eyebrow. The secret Konoha shinobi should know that no true medic would ever not help a patient – and Sakura is one of the truest.

Sakura, for her part, simply nods. “There is no problem, Uchiha-san. If I might start with diagnosing you, I can give you a more accurate guess of the potential treatment.”

Itachi nods almost imperceptibly. The kunoichi just nods back and starts to move closer.

Kakashi sees Itachi stiffen as if it had just now occurred to him that a healing process would actually involve getting touched by the healer.

“I will place my hands on your head and use my chakra to see how your eyes are doing. During that time, I would like you to close your eyes. As the eyes are a very intricate organ, the process may take a few minutes, but no more than that. Is that clear?”

Even though her tone is factual and business-like, the way Sakura approaches Itachi is more akin to a caretaker approaching a wild animal. Her movements are slow, her body language non-threatening, her hands visible.

There is a reason she is one of the best, Kakashi thinks proudly.

But even with her well-chosen approach, Kakashi knows his former team-member well enough to see the doubt in his eyes, still.

Steeling himself, Kakashi swallows and deliberately seeks out Itachi’s crimson eyes, meeting them without hesitation.

“I’ll keep watch,” he simply says. He does not mention the seals.

Itachi stares back at him, taking in the whole of his (still maskless, fuck, he’d almost forgotten it by this point) face.

Kakashi has never felt this terribly exposed.

But it is just for a few timeless seconds before the missing-nin closes his eyes and nods in acquiescence.

Sakura shoots him a grateful smile and Kakashi feels proud.

Their eyes meet for a moment. He can see the way she feels the heaviness of Itachi’s extended trust as well.

Well. They might as well extend something back.

“I’ll begin the process now, Itachi-san,” she verbalizes as she lays her hands on his head.

The long-haired shinobi still tenses slightly, unsurprisingly, but does not pull away.

Sakura’s hands start glowing green and her eyes close. With his sharingan, he can see the way her charka starts to move through Itachi’s body, illuminating his chakra paths. He would have called it beautiful if he were not so tense.

For over a minute, there is no sound in the room but their breathing.

Itachi’s body relaxes even more, actually leaning back into the soft cushions of the large couch.

It is only because of his sharingan that Kakashi notices the way Sakura tenses up, mid-way through the examination. Her brows furrow, her cheek twitches, and her mouth pinches like she is experiencing several emotions at once.

But she does not speak a word.

Itachi, eyes closed, does not react either.

Kakashi files the observation away.

One minute and twenty seconds later, the glow abates. Sakura straightens and pulls her hands back. Itachi slowly opens his eyes, blinking, sharingan still active.

Sakura folds her hands in her lap and thinks for a moment.

Then she cocks her head and addresses Itachi once more. “I cannot stop the process of erosion,” she begins bluntly, “just as I cannot do that with Kakashi’s sharingan. However,” she continues before Itachi has a chance to react, “I am able to reverse part of it.

I can take away the chakra build-up, clean some of the paths, rebuild others. Your vision will improve marginally up to significantly, depending on my success. Your headaches will lessen.

Of course, if you really want to take care of your eyesight, the solution is simple.” She looks at Itachi sternly, and Kakashi wonders what the last time was that anyone had dared to treat Itachi like this.

“De-activate you sharingan for two or three hours a day. That is just the bare minimum. Of course,” and her voice softens slightly here, “I understand your situation is… unique. But in the long run, it will only help you.”

The line of Itachi’s mouth is tense, tenser than Kakashi would have expected after hearing the diagnosis.

“Noted,” he drawls in a manner that would have been sarcastic on anyone else. “Anything else?”

Sakura’s face doesn’t change. “No.”

Itachi’s mouth relaxes. Kakashi, crimson eye still active, mentally makes another note.

“So,” Sakura says loudly as she rises from the couch. “The actual healing process will take far longer – an hour, at least. I would like you to lay down on the carpet for this, Itachi-san, as I will be kneeling next to you. In this time I’ll be concentrating almost completely on the healing process. I’ll be asking you to turn your sharingan on and off during the process. Understood?”

Itachi nods stiffly, eyes weary, but the set of his jaw speaks of determination.

Sakura smiles at him and Kakashi marvels at the warmth she excludes towards a person she’d learned to hate until just a few years ago.

Something in Itachi’s face softens at that. The Uchiha visibly takes a deep breath.

Taking off the Akatsuki cloak like it is armour, he folds it neatly and puts it on the now not-so-unremarkable chair.

“And Kakashi,” meanwhile Sakura sends him a meaningful look, the hair of the wig falling forward, “I would ask you to distract Itachi-san in the meantime. The procedure can be quite uncomfortable, and I would like him to relax as much as possible.”

(There are ten different ways Kakashi can interpret the way she looks at him right now.)

He nods and starts to take off his wig.

As the chestnut-brown, long-haired wig makes way for his characteristic grey, gravity-defying hair, he actually hears Itachi’s breath catch.

(his lips had _burned_ and his hands were trembling-)

When he throws a lopsided grin at Itachi, the other man averts his eyes.

Not that Kakashi was fooled. He was starting to get what Sakura was trying to do.

(In this world of blood and death, she was not afraid to be kind. Empathetic. Understanding. It was one of the reasons her profession suited her so well, and one of the reasons he lo- liked her.)

“Mah, my cute little kohai, let’s listen to the smart and pretty nurse and try to relax!”

Kakashi is very aware of his lack of mask as he gives Itachi an eye-crinkle. His still exposed sharingan totally catches the way the man’s mouth quirks upward.

Letting himself fall to the ground cross-legged, Kakashi shoves his eyepatch back down. The relief of the chakra drain cutting of is immediate.

Itachi gracefully joins him on the large carpet in front of the couch, simply sitting up straight. There is a quiet air about him – a lack of… something.

Behind them, Sakura had taken her wig of as well and is rummaging through her luggage.

“Kakashi-senpai.” the S-ranked missing-nin says eventually. His hair falls forward, obstructing part of his face. It looks very smooth.

A pause.

Then; “It is good to see you again.”

Kakashi cannot help but smile genuinely in response, the image of the younger Itachi’s earnestness superimposed on this jaded version for just a moment.

At his core, Itachi hadn’t actually changed that much, had he?

“It is good to see you as well, Itachi-san,” he answers just as quietly. “I’m glad you are here.”

Itachi meets his exposed eye for a moment before looking down on his fidgeting hands. “I’m trying to relax,” he confesses softly. His fingers are long and slender. “I chose to seek you out. It’s just… difficult.”

Kakashi is surprised by the flare of emotion that swells up in his chest. “I know,” he reassures the other shinobi. “We know,” he amends, looking up as Sakura crouches down to join them.

“I’m glad you did, Itachi-san,” Sakura says softly as well. For all that the room was sealed off and secure, the rawness of Itachi’s vulnerability made all of them whisper.

As if it would make Itachi’s decisions today less heavy.

“The room is secure,” she continued, putting a hand on Itachi’s shoulder. As she pushes him down softly, Kakashi feels both his eyebrows raise up as Itachi does not resist.

Gathering his courage, Kakashi puts a hand on Itachi’s other shoulder, just laying it there as the powerful shinobi sank downwards.

“Kakashi will stay alert,” Sakura adds as Itachi’s back hits the soft and plush carpet. “You are safe.”

For a few moments made of glass, Itachi’s crimson eyes study the both of them intently. The lines around his eyes are pronounced, even clearer now that his hair is spread around him on the floor. It glimmers softly in the light of the room. Kakashi wonders absent-mindedly if it is as soft as it looks.

The crimson fades. In their place, deep pools of black that Kakashi remembers so clearly, last seen when he’d pushed him away all those years ago-

( _you’re only thirteen-_

_i’m a shinobi.)_

“Thank you, Sakura-san.”

And Uchiha Itachi closes his eyes.

* * *

Haruno Sakura was taking a risk.

Haruno Sakura was very aware of how much of a risk she was taking.

This was _not_ your run-off-the-mill patient. Sakura felt the storm of emotions in her chest – compassion, anger, gratitude, sadness – and tried to put all of them away.

As the medic tried to handle this whole encounter as professionally as possible, Sakura could not help but feel awed by the amount of trust Uchiha Itachi was putting in them. In her.

And she was risking that very trust.

Maybe.

You see, Sakura was of two minds.

Itachi had specifically asked her to help him with his eyes.

But, consider this: Itachi was a genius. An actual, in-and-off-the-battlefield, once-in ten-generations, genius.

He could not come to her for help and think that she would not notice the _deadly lung infection_ and _chronic_ _respiratory disease_ that were visible in basically every part of his body.

His immune system was constantly working overtime. Even as Sakura started with scanning just his head the clues were ripe for the taking.

Itachi _must_ have known she would notice.

He must.

So after she easily finished diagnosing his eyes, she had moved on to diagnosing his lungs as subtly as she could.

Just, you know. To be safe.

(Keeping the majority of her chakra in his eyes was easy. No one ever realized how good her chakra control actually was except Tsunade-shishou herself.)

The lung infection was caused by the respiratory disease.

Which was _treatable_. Not curable, no, genetics and so on, but with the right medication it would just give him a permanent moderate cough and a slightly lesser lung capacity.

Currently, she estimated he was coughing up blood daily and constantly short of breath.

Fucking Uchiha Itachi. Operating at roughly a third of his physical capacity. Still one of the most deadly shinobi alive.

She almost lost her hold over her chakra at that realization.

Which brought her to her next question.

Should she heal it?

The most simple answer was _yes_. Itachi was a patient, a Konoha shinobi, and someone who’d had enough shit to deal with in his life.

And he must have known.

But in the earlier stages of this disease, any average medic could have helped him to manage it. And Itachi probably knew this, thus actively chose not to be healed. Should she honour his choices? Or were there other circumstances that caused him not to seek out a medic?

In the end, for her, it came down to her values. And that was simple.

If Itachi wanted her to treat him, there was no problem.

If he didn’t, well… Then he probably needed help even more. Because that pointed to Itachi having a massive martyr-complex and Sakura was not going to stand by and let him kill himself.

He deserved better.

So on to the next step; how to sneakily heal a S-ranked missing-nin.

Luckily, she had a trump card: one Hatake Kakashi.

Sakura was not an idiot. After Tsunade-sama’s reveal she had suspected Kakashi’s feelings on his former subordinate were not as simple as they seemed – and they already seemed fucking complicated.

Seeing Itachi react to Kakashi right now, she could only assume these feelings were mutual.

So up to Kakashi to distract Itachi from what exactly she was healing it was.

“Kakashi,” she addressed her partner as he sat down next to Itachi “there is nothing preventing him from speaking. So please just… make small talk, or something, to distract Itachi-san from the uncomfortable sensation.”

Her hands find a hair-tie to secure her hair from falling into her face.

Her eyes catch his lone one for a moment, trying to mentally inform the man to _do whatever it takes to keep him distracted Kami-sama please_.

Kakashi pauses for a moment, then nods.

Together, they look down on Itachi, still laying eyes-closed on the carpet. The lines on his face have lessened just a little, though it makes the bags under his eyes even more pronounced.

“Oh, I just love the chance to catch up with my cute little kohai, no problem!” Kakashi announces a little too playfully.

Although Sakura rolls her eyes, she is not too late to catch the faint smile on Itachi’s face.

Good. This is going to work.

It has to.

“I’m going to place one hand on your forehead,” she says calmly, “and one hand above your heart, on your main tenketsu point.”

Taking extra care to make sure her heart beats evenly, she arranges herself in a comfortable position next to Itachi’s head.

Itachi frowns slightly, which is far too adorable for a S-ranked missing-nin.

“I have been informed the main tenkentsu points are located on the stomach area,” the Uchiha asks without the intonation at the end of the sentence that actually makes it a question.

Kakashi huffs in amusement.

Sakura forces herself to smile slightly, even though Itachi cannot see her. “Actually, Itachi-san, while it is true that the stomach has the highest density of tenketsu points and is therefore often used as focus to heal large injuries, it is not your main tenketsu point.” Truth.

“While healing non-lethal injuries that require more precision, medics can choose to focus on the tenketsu point above the heart, instead. And it is closer to your eyes.”

Silence.

“Ah.” Itachi simply responds.

Taking that as permission, Sakura places her hands in the announced positions.

One on his forehead, directly above the four perfectly viable tenkestu points.

One above his heart, safely encapsulated by his lungs.

“I’m going to begin now.”

Closing her eyes, focusing her chakra, the last thing Sakura feels is the soft press of Kakashi’s lips to hers.

“Good luck,” he whispers.

Then her world snaps out of focus as she pushes her chakra into Itachi’s body. Gently, but without hesitation, she sends her chakra through his whole system, using his chakra pathways as a highway. Her chakra seeps out of the pathways into the surrounding muscles, his lymphatic system, his veins.

As is usual with every major procedure, Sakura maps out every inch of his body in her mind’s eye though what she senses with her chakra.

Underneath her, Itachi fights ever so slightly. Sakura is more and more acutely aware of every movement he makes, ever muscle he moves.

“This is a unusual sensation,” he mutters softly.

Sakura fights a smile. “I can imagine. Normally, for procedures such as this, we sedate the patient with anaesthetics, but I do not have them with me, nor do I think you would accept them.”

She feels the fidgeting lessen. “You are correct.”

Sakura only half-hears his response, focused on mentally reporting and monitoring his vitals, then letting them fade into the background.

(Itachi’s heart is beating erratically. His lungs are at one fourth capacity, at most. The rest of it is filled with blood.

He must have a constant urge to cough that never lessens, even when he gives in to it. How long must Itachi pretend to be healthy each day? How strong is his will?)

 _Not now,_ she tells herself, and re-focuses on getting a read on his vitals. This way, as she concentrates on the actual procedure, she trusts her subconsciousness and instinct to alert her if any vitals start to change.

Normally, they have machines or a separate medic to do the full-body monitoring like this.

But Sakura is not a normal medic.

“You have very healthy chakra pathways,” she comments because it is true. His chakra circulates easily and the force of it is strong, even now. Especially the pathways from the neck and up are far bigger than average. Dõjutsu, she mentally adds with a sigh. So unfair.

“Thank you,” Itachi responds blankly.

Vaguely, she hears Kakashi chuckle. “That’s your best line, Sakura, really?”

Ignoring her former sensei, Sakura takes a breath and dives in completely.

Vaguely, she hears Kakashi ask something that sounds like “Have you ever been introduced to the wonderful world of the Icha Icha series, Itachi, because you should…”

The first part is easy, because it is what she is here to do. The damage to his eyes is even more severe than she expected, though from what she can see it is mostly centred on the common chakra pathways, not the special ones she has learned to associate with the Mangekyõ.

“We do actually have a movie theatre in Amegakure. Though I have never been tempted to see a movie of that kind, the last time I went there was three years ago, when Kisame-san…”

Time passes differently when your eyes are closed and your whole world exists of the incarnate details of someone else’s body. Especially when you are trying to heal something, but not too quickly, because of your secondary objectives.

“Genma has recently taken a liking to breaking in the new recruits, which is fucking hilarious if not for the fact that he’s becoming better at making them piss their pants then me, which is totally unfair…”

“Activate your sharingan, first stage, please, Itachi-san,” Sakura interrupts whomever is currently talking.

The lines under her hands shift. She feels the change in his whole chakra system, and the damage is suddenly different, accentuated. New points become visible, the existing ones become more pronounced. Sakura swallows.

“I do not have a lot of time for… frivolous activities. But I do still enjoy reading, especially poetry, and I do not mind cooking when I have the time.”

Time passes. The pathways are thin, so thin, and each branch splits up to a dozen times. About half are completely blocked by the chakra residue, and Sakura fleetingly wonders if Itachi even sees colour anymore. Breaking down the residue in such a way that it can integrate back into his chakra system without damaging it is a challenge. But she can handle it.

“You do? I actually do as well – just a few hours ago I finally managed to uncover the greatest secret in my shinobi career, that is to say the recipe to Sakura’s family dish…”

“Off, please,” she commands simply and feels Itachi obey her without much thought.

The time has come. Making sure to keep her chakra moving in the pathways she has already unblocked, circulating without actually doing anything, she starts her second task. She focuses on the alveoli, first, all tiny little pouches in his lungs half-filled with blood. Removing the liquid, repairing the walls, all the cracks and holes in the protective barrier in and outside of his lungs that should keep the fluid out.

“Maybe I will try that, Kakashi-senpai. In return, may I offer this Mist dish I have learned a few years back, which is preferably readied with fresh salmon…”

As she finishes half of the alveoli in his lungs, she pulls back slightly and commands Itachi once more. “On, regular state.” The pathways get illuminated once more. Shifting her attention, Sakura returns to clearing away the chakra residue, which has already lessened.

“…and that is why no one will ever challenge either Hokage-sama or Sakura to a drinking challenge, ever.”

“Off,” and Sakura focuses on Itachi’s lungs once more until all the alveoli are cleared. Which does not mean her task is finished. Fearing Itachi will notice, though, it is time to focus on the eyes again.

“I would have never believed it if I had not experienced it with my own eyes, Kakashi-senpai. But Akatsuki dinners can really be like that.”

“On, Mangekyõ state, please.” Itachi stiffens slightly beneath her, but she simply waits. When he turns his eyes on this time, there are even more formerly hidden chakra pathways now visible. This time, there is little chakra residue, but a lot more damaged and closed-off pathways become clear. There is nothing she can do for the closed-off ones, but the damaged ones can mostly be savaged.

“Sakura has actually worked with my eye on a regular basis, so don’t worry, my cute little kohai. She’s helped me a lot.”

Time passes – a lot of it. This part is always the most difficult, but Sakura has complete confidence in herself.

There is no other option.

“Normal stage, please.” It is a calculated risk. But the pathways are clearer, now, and this means she can easily circulate the chakra there while also putting most of her attention to his chest cavity, destroying all bacteria she can find in his chest. The disease himself is in his DNA, she cannot treat that, but she can remove the fluid and strengthen his immune system.

“Thank you for protecting my brother even now, Kakashi-senpai. I would like you to know I do not blame you for… what has happened. Orochimaru’s poison is very dangerous. I have experienced this myself.”

His lungs are mostly healed now, or at least, as far as she dares to. His eyes have been cleared up, too, though she does not dare to treat his thinnest pathways or even the few hints of… un-opened pathways? she thinks she can see. It is only the first treatment. The recently un-clogged chakra residue currently in his system has to have a chance to be completely absorbed, first.

“That- That is good to hear, Itachi. I must admit that I, I have, I did blame myself. Maybe I still do.”

Should she risk it?

“You should not. If there is anyone to blame, Kakashi, it is me. This you must see.”

Her chakra crept up towards his throat, too much to be without cause. But Itachi does not notice. The last traces of the lung infection scattered around his throat are mended, smoothed, the roughness of the permanent cough erased easily. A routine treatment for a medic like her.

“It’s- no, Itachi, it’s not that simple. You- you are a hero, and a killer, yes, but we are shinobi. We are all killers. And you had to make the most difficult choice of all, and you chose Konoha, you chose Sasuke, and you should _never_ blame yourself. Never.”

Sakura opens her eyes. Removes her chakra.

Looks at the bare face of Sharingan Kakashi, her partner, and reads the multitude of emotions on his face easily. They feel alien to her, having been completely absorbed in another’s body for an unknown amount of time, only vaguely registering some of the noises around her.

Something must have happened. Sakura is attuned enough to Kakashi that she knows she has interrupted… something.

Beneath her hands, Itachi’s eyes are still closed, but his hands are clenched. When she removes her hands, she can see a small glistering at the edge of his eyes, though she might have been imagining things.

“Off,” she commands, though timidly.

She is done.

* * *

Itachi has always had a low sex drive.

He has had sex, yes. A woman, once. A man, another time. On the rare occasions he was honest with himself, he could admit that it was not out of want or desire, really. It was more out of a sense of… curiosity. A new experience, something so many people praised so highly. It was almost like trying out a new hobby.

That was not to say he was unwilling. He was, willing that is, and chose the person and occasion himself. Somehow, Uchiha Itachi had never had a lack of admirers, even after his defection from Konoha.

To each their own, or so they say.

Both times were as good as a way to spend a free evening as any, he supposed. His partners had expressed their satisfaction, which reassured him. He had always been a quick learner.

For him, however, it was just not that… sexual. Not exiting. Nothing special at all, really.

That was not to say he had never felt any sexual desire.

When he was younger, and both boys and girls around him started giggling about the opposite gender (or the same gender, or both) – Itachi just did not understand. He had never felt the urge to swoon at another’s visage, abilities, or body – he was too busy with his own abilities, easily defeating any year mate (and even those several years older).

At first, the young prodigy had just chalked it up to the age difference. He’d finished the academy at the age of six, after all. Even with shinobi maturing faster than their civilian counterparts, both due to their lifestyle and the influence chakra had on their bodies, Itachi stayed indifferent to the concept of sex and romance.

(He’d studied it, of course, in case he’d ever needed it. When he entered ANBU, he braced himself for the worst. Somehow, he never got any of _those_ missions.

He knew Hound did.)

At age ten, the first time his cousin Shisui agreed to take him seriously in a spar and proceeded to trash him soundly within a minute, Itachi discovered something new about himself.

As Shisui leant over him with a wicked smile, his lips forming the words “I told you so,” Itachi surprised himself with a hot feeling that surged in his gut for just a moment, accompanied by a thought;

 _I could kiss him right now_.

He did not do so, of course. Even though Shishui was just two years older than him and his closest friend, their relationship had never been like that.

But it got him thinking.

Then there was the time with that Rock kunoichi on a mission with his chuunin team to Grass, nine months after he had sparred with Shisui. She and her squad had taken him and his team by surprise, and soon he was locked in a one-on-one battle.

The woman had not necessarily been more skilled than he was, but she fought _smart_. She’d downplayed her skills at first, let him underestimate her, then suddenly moved in for the kill.

Only the reflexes ingrained in him from years of repeating kata over and over again saved him from certain death.

The next thing he knew he was kissing her.

She was the one surprised now, reeling back with a look of confusion on her face that matched his own, and before his brain had caught up he’d brought a kunai to her neck.

He was only _just_ fast enough to make sure he knocked her out instead of killing her.

(He told his team he had killed her. The first and only time he had ever lied about a mission.)

The next time Itachi felt the surge of heat, the slight shudder, the intake of breath that he thought must be what people called _desire_ it was two years later.

As he got accepted into ANBU he was first placed with Team Sen, whose team captain was not impressed by him. Especially when two months into his tenure Itachi managed to knock him out in twelve seconds flat.

So he was moved to Team Rõ. The captain of the team had a reputation, though, only accepting the best. He had to last one minute in full combat against his potential new captain.

Hound-taichou.

The ANBU had not yet said a word.

Itachi lasted three minutes and twenty seconds.

And lost.

As Itachi was finally pushed against the wall, kunai against his neck, the battlefield around them scarred and broken, his future team-members staring at the both of them in shock, the Hound-masked ANBU finally spoke.

“Yield.”

Instead of disappointment, frustration or even elation, there was only one thought flowing though Itachi’s brain at that moment-

 _I want to kiss you_.

And then _oh_ , as his mind quickly recognized and analysed what he now recognized as desire burning in his stomach, compared the situations in less then a second ( _best friend, enemy, complete stranger; male, female, gender unknown; friendly spar, death match, entrance exam)_ and he realized-

The kunai pressed more forcefully against the bare skin of his throat. Itachi’s throat went dry.

“I yield.”

He was attracted to power.

Someone who could take him. Outsmart him. Who made him like a human being, a regular shinobi, instead of a lone genius on an unwanted throne.

Later, he realized this also meant someone whom he could trust to stop him if needed – someone he could feel safe with.

Someone to take the lead, instead of being led.

As Hound-taichou revealed himself to be Hatake Kakashi, who subsequentially in the year afterwards also proved himself to be a loyal, fair and honourable person-

Well. It was no wonder Itachi had fallen in love.

Of course, this realization about his sexuality posed something of a… problem.

You see, when you are one of the most powerful shinobi alive, it is quite rare to find people who could match you in power, never mind actually besting you.

Even in the Akatsuki, Itachi was reasonably sure he could take on most of his fellow S-ranked missing-nin. Especially knowing their abilities as well as he did. Only Pein-sama, and maybe Konan, were exceptions to this. Tobi was an unknown, but Tobi was someone Itachi tried to stay away from. Call it instinct.

Anyway, Pein-sama… Pein-sama was in a league of his own, a person who Itachi both respected and feared too much to ever think about sexually. If his eyes sometimes strayed a little longer than was considered polite whenever their Leader truly showcased his power – well, that was his business.

Konan was clearly completely loyal to Pein-sama. Something in her demeanour was too cold for him, in any case.

Other than that, there were only a very small handful of people he could even potentially be attracted to in the shinobi world. Most of these were not available for some reason or another. Age, personality, loyalty – Akatsuki had too many enemies to count.

Of course, one may ask where this train of thought was coming from. Or why Itachi was even thinking about these things at all.

One might guess that it was due to his current proximity to one of the aforementioned candidates for his attraction, a certain Hatake Kakashi. Who he had what one could generously call a history with. Who was even more attractive without a mask.

But one would be wrong.

It might have something to do with it, yes, but it was not the main reason.

As Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes and took a deep breath, surgery finished, he laid still and silent for several seconds. As his brain processed the information relayed to him and decided it was a great time for some deep reflection about his sexuality, he reluctantly accepted what his subconscious was trying to tell him.

Haruno Sakura was far more powerful than he’d anticipated.

And if the slight hitch in his breath indicated anything, he liked it.

Of course, the fact that he could even notice the change in his breathing when only an hour ago he could barely breathe at all was… a clue.

A generous one.

The colours that had suddenly sprang to life before his eyes barely caught his attention. The absence of his migraine, the lack of blurry edges, the way his eyes reflected black in the window glass – he saw it, yes, but none of it registered.

All his attention was on his chest. The heavy weight on his lungs that had disappeared. The lack of thick sludge permanently stuck in his throat. The ease at which he managed not to cough, as if the urge was not there at all.

Slowly, the black-haired Uchiha rose to a seated position, twisting around to lock eyes with the pink-haired medic who sat defiantly at his side, chin up.

“You,” he stated evenly. Dangerously.

“Me,” she agreed.

Silence.

The thoughts and feelings inside of him were numerous. Anger, panic, relief, happiness, lust, respect, betrayal-

He had underestimated her severely.

(Had he? Or had he wanted this to happen?

Uchiha Itachi was too used to having plans within plans withing plans. Sometimes even he did not know what exactly his goal was.)

Outwardly, none of his thoughts were visible on his face. Whatever was visible as his eyes bored into emerald green ones made Sakura look away for just a second before meeting his gaze once more and squaring her shoulders. His gaze flickered to her bare collarbone for just a moment.

When he refocused his eyes on hers, there was steel in them.

“It was treatable. I am a medic. It’s as simple as that - you must have known that. You must.”

He swallowed, once. “I had thought you to ask me, first.”

Her green eyes were bright. Her mouth held the shadow of a smirk.

“You thought wrong.”

He was Uchiha Itachi. He _never_ thought wrong.

But now he had.

And it turned him on.

(Fire in his gut, a shiver down his spine-)

“Wait,” came a third voice, very confused at the sudden tension in the room. “What is this about? Did the surgery not go well?”

Itachi kept his eyes on Haruno Sakura’s face, taking in every detail, every emotion he could decipher as she turned to face Kakashi and answered his question.

“It went perfectly fine. Better than I estimated, even, as I have treated your sharingan before.

Aside from that, I also treated his _deadly lung infection_ and _chronic_ _respiratory disease_ which both went untreated for years. The first is gone now, the second is genetic so still there but under control now, by the way,” she added as she turned back to meet his eyes once more.

Her shoulders were straight, pink hair brushing against them softly. She didn’t seem tired at all, even after performing three intensive surgeries in under an hour, two of which she had to do stealthily, even if the target had been distracted.

The last rays of sunlight through the window illuminated her body, accentuating her muscles. He counted at least six hidden weapons, even without the sharingan on.

Itachi bit his lip and slowly released his breath.

And then realized what he just had seen.

Without the sharingan on.

Just an hour ago, he had been nearly blind without it, seeing nothing but a vague, thick coating of visible chakra and blurry figures.

Now there were colours. The pink of Sakura’s hair, slightly darker at the base – the pattern on the wallpaper of the room, illuminated by the setting sun, red and orange and yellow – the individual strands of the carpet he was lying on, small and numerous, and so, so clear.

He lifted his hands and stared at them. He could almost see the lines of his fingerprints, even if they were still a little blurry. The last time he could see to this detail, even with the sharingan, had been over two years ago.

His mouth fell open. He couldn’t help it.

Before he could do much more, however, his world was turned upside down.

Literally.

Kakashi was on him. And he was _furious_.

Somehow, astonishingly, he was not prepared for an attack of any kind at all. Itachi was easily pushed to the ground. His arms flew up, moving towards his attacker’s neck, but where caught and twisted with surprising speed. His back hit the carpet once more, and Itachi let out a soft _oomph_ of surprise.

Still on autopilot, the Uchiha brought his feet up and connected. Kakashi moved with the force, letting himself be pushed of his feet. He fell downwards, calculated, _on_ Itachi.

As Itachi caught up with what was happening, preparing to manoeuvre Kakashi off him, he activated his sharingan automatically.

It was as if an dirty filter had been pulled away from his eyes. If he thought his vision had fine without it, he had been an idiot.

The dust particles in the air glistered in the sun. In front of his very eyes, the individual strands of Kakashi’s hair cascaded slightly downwards, pulled towards him by gravity. He could count the eyelashes around Kakashi’s visible eye, the grey iris now freely showing the spots of blue hidden within it.

A clarity of vision that had had not known for almost a decade.

Of course, the reason he could see these things so clearly was not just because of the sharingan. It was also because Kakashi’s face was positioned right above his own, mere centimetres apart.

At this realization, Itachi became fully aware of his position.

Cursing the intelligence and deceptive powers of Haruno Sakura once more, Itachi realized he had been out of it for three seconds, at least, following the activation of his sharingan.

A generous amount of time for a regular shinobi to incapacitate him. For example, with both hands captured above his head, using his weight to restrain his legs and hips.

Hatake Kakashi was no regular shinobi.

His rage, therefore, was something to behold.

“Are you telling me, Sakura,” Kakashi said slowly and dangerously as he stared into Itachi’s crimson eyes without fear. The sharingan burned the image into Itachi’s brain. Without his mask, the slope of Kakashi’s mouth told volumes. “That Itachi here has been voluntarily letting a treatable illness slowly kill him for years, if not longer?”

A moment of silence. Itachi could not breathe, could not think, could only focus on the face above him. The lack of honorific barely registered.

“That is my estimation, yes,” said a familiar voice far, far away.

“And knowing what we do,” Kakashi continued casually, “is it reasonable to assume Itachi would have left these illnesses stay untreated until they would have inevitably thrown him into an early grave?”

Above his head, both of Itachi’s hands were held in a vice-like grip. Kakashi’s teeth were bared in a facsimile of a grin, crooked canines visible. His lone eye was burning.

This was not Kakashi, holding him in place – this was Hound.

Sakura, her voice still sounding far away, answered slowly, hesitantly.

“It is,” she eventually managed.

“Then tell me,” Kakashi continued, every word punctuated, “ _I-ta-chi_ , what in the _seven layers of hell_ convinced you to _throw away your own life_?”

Itachi’s breathing quickened – fear or arousal, he could not tell. He could only listen as Hound-taichou, his superior, his equal, the person he’d fallen in love with so long ago, tore into him.

“Do you have a _death wish?_ Is this what you want to leave Sasuke with?” Something in Hound-taichou’s voice changed, pitched higher, on the verge of breaking. “Is this how you will fulfil your duty to Konoha? Do you want to let Danzõ win?”

A shimmer of Kakashi shone through. The next sentence was almost a whisper.

“Do you think this will bring you salvation?”

Itachi could not speak. Could not think. Could only stare at Hound-taichou, at Kakashi, unmoving.

All his self-doubt, the voices coming through on a bad day, were being verbalized and thrown back into his face. He had build his life around his decisions all those years ago. They couldn’t be changed. It couldn’t be changed. It was the only way.

Frustrated by his lack of answer, Kakashi shook him. Roughly. “ _Answer me_ ,” he growled.

But for all his conviction, Itachi could not find the words to explain that to Kakashi right now.

“I’m sorry,” he only managed to choke. “I- I’m- I’m so sorry.”

It did not help. Hound-taichou was back, fully, and he was still so angry, and burning hot chakra in the air began to crackle and the hairs on his neck were rising-

Then, a hand.

A slim hand, nails perfectly manicured, though the callouses were clear to those who saw it up close.

The hand appeared on Hound-taichou’s shoulder, and pulled him back.

As if it was simple as that.

But… it was. And like the clouds disappearing after a heavy storm, so too did Hound vanish.

The tension in the air dissipated. The pressure on his hands lifted. The expression on Kakashi’s face changed from complete fury to something that was almost heartbroken.

(That was actually worse.)

And then Kakashi’s weight was lifted, pulled back, still by that single hand on his shoulder.

Itachi could only stare at the white ceiling blankly.

In these past few minutes he’d experienced more emotions than everything he’d felt since he had joined the Akatsuki combined.

So he just stared at the ceiling. And breathed. Went through his emotions one by one, picking them apart, rationalizing them, then tucking them away. As he’d learnt to do.

There are voices whispering in the background, but he ignored them.

First, the negative emotions. The anger, the feeling of betrayal, he takes and tucks away in the corner of his mind. Useful for later, when he needs to pretend to be angry. The self-doubt, at Kakashi’s questions, he suffocates. He does not have a use for it. Can not allow it to sow. The surprise, at the actions of both Kakashi and Sakura, he lets out, his mouth falling open and eyes widening, and waits until it slowly ebbs away.

Then there are the positive emotions – something Itachi is far less sure about how to deal with.

The relief, being healthy, being treated like a person. This he shows on his face as well, letting it dissipate, though it takes a bit longer than the surprise. The admiration, Sakura’s intelligence, Kakashi’s speed – this, he knows how to deal with. Framing it as a neutral emotion, rationalizing it and taking the new information into consideration. The happiness, the concern that was shown for hi – Itachi, as if he was a person – the investment in his well-being; This, Itachi stores away in a space very near his heart. A space he only opens on his darkest days, when he does not know why he even moves forward anymore. That space eagerly soaks up the emotion.

The whispers are getting louder.

Last but not least – the arousal. Sakura’s decisions, her deception, her steadfastness through it all. Kakashi, Hound, standing over him, holding him down, _winning_.

Itachi does not know what to do with this emotion.

This means the arousal is still circling through his body, hidden in his muscles, running through his veins, sparkling in his soul, as he realizes something is going on.

He forces himself to sit up.

When he rises to a sitting position, he is met by the sight of Kakashi and Sakura in heated discussion. Kakashi’s eyes are still wild, furious and broken, but it is Kakashi, not Hound, that is sitting there.

Sakura has one hand on his shoulder and the other clenched in a fist. She is talking softly but quickly, the conviction in her voice clear.

As Itachi watches, the tension in Kakashi’s body dissipates. It is only after it does that Itachi realizes he had been straining against Sakura’s hand on his shoulder the whole time, trying to escape, but the pink-haired kunoichi showed no sign of struggle.

She is talking him down, Itachi realizes. And she is doing so successfully.

The heat in his gut surges once more.

Lady Tsunade’s apprentice moves her hand from Kakashi’s shoulder to his face, fingers tracing his lips and coming to rest on his cheek. She moves forward, her forehead against his, staring his mismatched eyes, sharingan now uncovered.

Kakashi’s shoulders relax even more. Sakura’s fist unclenches, and he moves to take her hand soon after.

The Uchiha can barely believe what he is seeing. What Kakashi is doing can only be described as _submitting_ to her judgement. Opening up; allowing her in.

Itachi sees pink lips move, but the words do not register. He can only stare at the two of them. The most dangerous shinobi in Konoha deferring to the most beloved.

Then they kiss.

Itachi sucks in a breath through his teeth. He feels his groin start to tighten, the hairs on his arms standing up.

His body is coming alive in ways that he did not believe it even could, anymore.

Sakura moves her hands to Kakashi’s hair, gripping it tightly between her fingers, moving herself even closer to him, almost sitting in his lap. Kakashi, for his part, responds just as eagerly, pressing back with force even as he moves his head backwards.

The flashes of tongue are tantalizing. Itachi wets his lips.

Never before has he been so grateful for the sharingan.

It goes on for a second, two, three, and then the two shinobi break apart. Both of them are breathing a bit heavily, still captivated by each other’s eyes.

For a moment, Itachi feels a strange sense of loss rushing through him.

Then Sakura turns her head and looks Itachi straight in the eyes.

The smile that she gives him is as far from innocent as it could have been.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like ItaSaku and/or Sakura joining the Akatsuki, I also have another story 'Shinra Tensei', you might enjoy that!


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